A Long Way 'til Sunrise
by Teala373
Summary: Batman imposes restrictions on Barbara's Oracle activities after she is injured, but several enemies & ancient mysteries unfold, putting Barbara in more harm while she & her friends all have their own secret side projects.
1. Prologue and so it begins

A Long Way 'til Sunrise

By Teala373

Prologue… and so it begins…

_Synopsis: Batman imposes restrictions on Barbara's Oracle activities after she is injured, but several enemies & ancient mysteries unfold, putting Barbara in more harm while she & her friends all have their own secret side projects._

_Characters: The Bat Family, Birds of Prey, Justice League core members, Roy Harper, Donna Troy & lots of other cameos. _

_Ships: Barbara/Dick, Bruce/Diana_

_Disclaimer/Warnings: I seriously own nothing and I have twin sons, so I am also broke. This story borrows from canon and mythology, but much was rewritten (so, lots of purposeful inaccuracies for sake of the story). There is the occasional mild curse word & conversations about sexual situations, but nothing overly graphic._

(o)O(o)

Barbara Gordon had been awake long enough to see the sun rise, set, and then rise again. It was 8:37 p.m. and the Gotham skyline was preparing for another color-soaked sunset. Pausing in her typing, Barbara realized that she was pushing herself to the limit and should try to get some sort of rest before another catastrophe broke out. It took her only a few moments to wrap up the mirage of tasks she had been juggling with the speed and accuracy of the computer she worked on.

Grabbing her cup of decaffeinated tea (her stomach finally revolted against the half-burnt, too-strong coffee that had been keeping her awake over the course of almost 2 days), she wheeled out to the small balcony just outside her kitchen. As she overlooked the bustling city, she drank in the deep colors of the darkening sky as they melted into one another before crashing into the horizon.

She often missed the sunrise, but she caught sunsets when she could. They seemed to be the last pleasant site before the worst of Gotham came out to play…

(o)O(o)

Princess Diana of Themescyra, for she was still able to retain her title through her banishment, watched the setting sun and awaited the coming of the stars. The alignment would tell her how much time she had left. Artemis, one of the patron goddesses of the Amazons, had given her a great task many, many years ago, and she was running out of time…

(o)O(o)

The only reason Batman noticed the sunset was because it alerted him that Robin would soon join him on patrol. The sky no longer held wonder for him as it once did when he was a child; now it was only a rudimentary means of telling time as he watched over the often-fragile city of Gotham…

(o)O(o)

While entering his Bludhaven apartment building, Dick Grayson looked up just in time to catch a scarlet band streaking across the orange-drenched sky. Sunset had always been a magical time for him in his youth: it was the signal of the time he would don his Robin costume and soar across the sky with Batman.

But, those days were long gone…

(o)O(o)

As Tim Drake prepared his jump line, he drank in the bleeding sky as the sun descended. Life was slowly becoming mundane and robotic to him: Eat. School. Patrol. Sleep. Repeat. Enjoying something as simple as a sunset was refreshing for him, something that reminded him that he was alive when he felt dead inside.

However, he hadn't seen a sunrise in a long time…

(o)O(o)

Cassandra Cain was already in her costume and embroiled in a back-alleyway battle with 5 thugs. As she executed a flip to avoid a tackle, the intense display of the Gotham sunset caught her notice for the briefest of moments. Though the sunset was beautiful, it brought with it the night.

And the night always brought out the worst…

(o)O(o)

Dinah Lance knew it was only a matter of time before the Oracle dispatched her. She glanced at the tube in her hand and determined that she would risk the 5 minutes the entire ritual would take. As she squeezed out the thick green paste and slathered it across her face, she caught site of the melting colors in the sky in the mirror. She finished applying the mask and vaguely wondered if she would get to see a Gotham sunrise, or if she would be sent to some remote location in a part of the world she couldn't pronounce…

(o)O(o)

Helena Bertenelli sat cross-legged on a large rooftop ledge and watched the sky ablaze with color. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so guilty, or so sad. She wondered if the tables were turned, would she have made such a sacrifice as the one that had been done for her. She wondered if her life would always be a series of sunsets, but never a sunrise…

(o)O(o)

The sun was always setting and it was a long way 'til sunrise…

(o)O(o)

(o)O(o)

_Author's Note: Um, I have been working on this one for an embarrassing long amount of time, but really want to finish. It's long, it's complicated and it's loosely based on where these characters were a decade ago (I am getting old!), but I'm still attached and want to see it through. Even though this is mostly centered around Barbara Gordon and the "Bat-family", there are quite a few DC and Marvel characters in here. I borrow stuff from canon and Greek mythology, but I re-wrote most of it just for sake of the story, so there are a LOT of purposeful inaccuracies. Then, I basically ruin everyone's lives before putting them back together, but for those of you that ship Barbara/Dick and Bruce/Diana there's a light at the end of a very long tunnel…_


	2. 1: Less Than Six Degrees of Separation

A Long Way 'til Sunrise

By Teala373

Chapter 1: Less Than Six Degrees of Separation

(o)O(o)

Though Wayne Enterprises had completely funded and built the JLA Watchtower, Batman wasn't a frequent visitor. He was the sworn protector of Gotham and often left League business to the core council, which consisted of Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Flash and Aquaman.

However, certain incidents caught his attention and brought him to the council meetings. Currently, the Blue Beetle, who was also brilliant businessman Ted Kord of Kord, Inc., was officially resigning due a serious heart aliment that inhibited his abilities. Before he left, however, he wanted to leave a warning.

"I am still suspicious of Maxwell Lord's true intentions and the integrity of the Checkmate organization. If the League wishes to break their ties with Checkmate, my company would gladly take over the financial responsibilities. I also have good standing with Wayne Enterprises, which I may also be able to partner with on such a venture."

The core council members (who all knew Bruce's identity) swallowed smiles, knowing full well that Wayne Enterprises would take over the financial burden that Checkmate had been handling for years.

"We will take this into consideration," Green Lantern responded, as he received from Ted a small disk with his notes on the matter.

Ted sighed as he bowed his head. He then told the council what an honor it had been to serve with the League and reiterated that he would be happy to help in anyway he could as a civilian, should they need him.

Batman watched Ted as he walked away. Many considered Ted a mere second-string member that was really only was good for upgrading equipment with his technological expertise. Now with the assistance of the mighty Oracle, he was hardly needed, though he had designed and built the first security and monitoring systems for the League, as well as provided many non-flying league members with lifts in his aircraft: the Bug.

Batman wanted to see this disk for himself. Though they had never found anything out of the ordinary with Checkmate or Maxwell Lord, he wanted to keep a continuous eye on both parties, as well as start instituting a higher level of checks and balances to ensure the League's integrity.

The secondary purpose was his perpetual watch over Wonder Woman. Though she was pure of heart and genuine in spirit, he had also thought there was an underlying ulterior motive in her all-too-easy defiance of Amazonian law, and her mother's all-to-easy embrace of her daughter's decisions. He was under the impression that Princess Diana of Themscyra was searching for something beyond her island home's borders.

Part of Diana's roll as the only ambassador of Themescyra was to validate the heritage of those claiming to be descendants of rejected male babies born in Themescyra, and even the gods themselves. Diana had previously enlisted Batman's aid in such investigation before the Oracle became available to the League. It seemed like it was always a perfect cover for her to be searching for something, or someone very specific, and Batman was determined to find out who or what it was.

(o)O(o)

The last place anyone expected Barbara Gordon to be was sitting at a table with the original members of the Teen Titans, laughing and joking as if she had always known them.

Because of Dick Grayon's relationship and almost marriage to Princess Koriand'r, many thought the two women would be extremely catty towards one another, but it couldn't be further than the truth. Barbara, who hadn't previously met any of the original Titans in person, with the exception of Roy Harper, thoroughly enjoyed the Tamaradian princess' company, and was very interested in getting to know her.

Donna Troy watched Barbara exchange superhero stories of days long past with Kori. They had all instantly become smitten with Barbara, but Donna's mind was still reeling from Dick's initial mention of her when he asked if she could join them.

"I have a request from the Oracle," Dick had announced when he called his former team mates together, "with Brainiac on the loose, she has requested to personally come down and review the tower's system."

With the exception of Kori, who had purposely been absent, they had all been surprised to learn that Oracle was not only a person (and not an A.I. program), but she was also the first Batgirl and Dick Grayson's first love.

"It has a lot to do with why Kori and I were having so many problems before… the wedding…" he had confided. "She knew about Barbara and suspected that I was just rebounding. It was true, but my stupid pride got in the way and I rushed into everything…"

Roy, who had met Barbara before only as Dick's close friend from childhood, was floored. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up! Do you mean to tell me that you've sampled the wares of the lovely red-headed girl of my dreams and you've been holding out on me?"

Dick had shot Roy a menacing look. Every time Roy encountered Barbara (and there were far too many coincidences for Dick's taste), he shamelessly and incessantly flirted with her, insisting that she was to be the future Mrs. Roy Harper. Though Roy flirted with pretty much anything, there was something different about the way he drooled over Barbara that really got under his skin.

Donna rolled her eyes. "Knock it off, Roy! Dick, honey, why don't you start from the beginning?"

And he did. He recanted how he fell in love with Barbara the minute he first saw her as his babysitter all those years ago. He had wrestled with his feeling for both Batgirl and Barbara before discovering they were one and the same, but their relationship had been a rollercoaster ride. It wasn't until after he had left Wayne Manor that he learned the truth that Bruce had been behind all the reasons why Barbara had pushed him away, but then would come back to him, only to push him away again. Barbara had loved him and couldn't stay away, despite Bruce's warnings.

By the time Dick had discovered this, it had been too late to go back as she had given up the mantle for a brief time and began a serious relationship with Jason Bard: a former police officer often assigned by her father to check up on her, that led to an engagement. It was his knowledge of the engagement that had made him rush his relationship and engagement with Kori.

But then Raven stopped their wedding, a wedding Barbara didn't attend… and then Barbara had been shot…

Bruce hadn't let him see her, and when he finally broke into her hospital room, he saw why. Bruce had been protecting him, not defying him.

He had left her alone for a long time, only occasionally making contact, but then, when she revealed to him that she was Oracle, he began dropping into Gotham more and more, hoping there was another chance.

The Titans had been floored, especially when Dick gave the 'ok' into a communicator and the doors opened to reveal Kori standing beside Barbara in her wheelchair. Kori, who had always wanted to meet her rival, found herself with a new and wonderful friend, and agreed to bring her to the tower for her inspection.

But first, the Titans wanted to get to know this legendary woman.

Donna continued observing the exchange. She was particularly interested when Barbara started sharing her more recent exploits as Oracle. Dick's face changed, showing anger and pain. When Barbara recanted how she first met the current Black Canary, a dark cloud shadowed his face.

"It was entirely too dangerous. You shouldn't have been out in the open like that."

Barbara simply rolled her eyes, though Donna detected annoyance bubbling beneath the surface. "Relax, Short Pants. Everything turned out fine and I no longer leave my Repunzel-esque tower, except to make occasional superhero computer upgrades."

Roy had doubled over in laughter at the nickname of Short Pants, eliciting several snorts. The others had also enjoyed a good laugh, but Donna continued to sit still and watch the woman before her. There was something about her that she couldn't quite place. It wasn't anything negative, it was almost as though she felt a strange connection to her, somehow. She was also still wildly curious about this mysterious woman that had been haunting the heart of one of her best friends.

"I should come back more often," Kori stated when her laughter ended. "I wish I didn't always have so many duties on Tamaran."

"Speaking of duties, I really need to take a look at your system," Barbara wheeled away from the table and headed towards the main terminal.

Wally zipped ahead of her and entered the clearance pass code. Garth gathered the schematics on the system he had prepared for her, and Kori headed to the kitchen for more drinks. Roy, however, was trailing behind Barbara, watching her toned arms push the wheels.

"So, I noticed you don't have any handles," Roy began, his tone dropping in a flirtatious manner. "I was hoping to push you really fast, then pull myself up, like I used to with shopping carts."

"Whaddayamean 'used to'?" Dick spun around in his chair to glare at his friend.

Roy ignored Dick. "Maybe I can sit on your lap and you can give me a ride down the hill on the side of the building later."

Barbara giggled, which annoyed Dick further. Normally, she hated having attention drawn to her chair, but Roy had always found it alluring and had a way of making her laugh about it. Of course, it wasn't like she really took Roy seriously.

"I don't know, Speedster," she grinned using a form of his former codename, "you're looking pretty husky these days. I may not have any feeling in my legs, but that doesn't mean I want them flattened."

Wally and Garth laughed while Roy feigned hurt and began another failed pick up attempt. Dick started to rise from his seat, but Donna tugged on his arm.

"What's up, pretty lady," he asked his old friend.

"Hon, do you need to talk about anything?"

Dick sighed before meeting Donna's eyes. "It's just always been complicated with Babs and me."

Kori slipped into the seat next to him. "I really wanted to hate her, but she's amazing. Such lovely qualities about her."

Though Dick narrowed his eyes, he grinned mischievously. "Yeah, she's only on her best behavior because you just met. Wait till you get to know her better, then the yelling starts."

"Yelling is only reserved for you and the bat, Short Pants," Barbara called from where she was furiously typing into the terminal.

"And she has excellent hearing," Dick grumbled. "Hey!" he shouted over to Barbara. "Don't put me in the same category with him!"

"The only difference is that he doesn't make awful puns."

"You _like_ my puns!"

The Titans looked back and forth between the pair, enjoying the exchange.

"I _liked_ your puns until the ga-zillionth time you made remarks after battling Catwoman. I can only handle 'purrrr-pertrator' and 'purrrr-fect' and 'cat-napped' so many times."

"What? That's gold right there! It's a perfect set up and if I didn't deliver, you would be disappointed."

"Yeah," Barbara snorted, "real disappointed."

The Titans snickering turned into full-blown laughter. They had been enjoying the way Barbara could hold her own with Dick.

Roy, who had pulled a chair alongside Barbara, dropped an arm over her shoulder. "I don't make puns, Sweet Face."

"Sweet Face?" Now it was Barbara's turn to snicker. "Take back the arm, Harper, before I take if off for you."

"I'd do it, Roy," Dick was trying to be jovial, but Donna could see the slight strains of jealousy in his face, "I've seen how much she can bench press."

Roy removed his arm, but not before leaning and whispering something in Barbara's ear that made her giggle. Dick's jaw tightened.

"Barbara, honey," Donna called out. "Tell us about your family."

If anyone thought the random request and change of topic was odd, they didn't show it.

"Oh, my father is the Gotham Police Commissioner and just about the best dad ever," Barbara called over her shoulder. "He's originally from Chicago."

"And what about your mother, hon?"

"Oh, I don't have a mom," Barbara replied airily.

Roy looked at her as if she had grown two heads. "So, are you a miracle of modern science?"

Laughing, Barbara inserted a disk into one of the drives. "No, my father is really my uncle. My biological parents died in a drunk driving incident when I was really little. I don't remember them at all."

Despite her lax way of sharing the information, the room fell silent.

Barbara stopped typing. "Sorry," she turned to look at Donna. "I didn't mean to be such a downer."

"My fault, I asked."

The group then switched to a different topic while Barbara finished her scan and upgrade. Roy continued flirting, Dick continued scowling, Kori, Garth and Wally continued laughing, and Donna continued observing.

"You said she's five years older than you," Donna asked in a low voice when she captured Dick's attention again.

"Well, it's more like four and a half, with the way our birthday's fall," Dick put his hand on the back of his neck and averted his eyes. He didn't like talking about his and Barbara's age difference, as it had been a sore spot in the beginning of their relationship, causing Bruce to constantly intervene and scold Barbara.

"I was just thinking how young she looks," Donna replied absently while she watched Barbara thwart another one of Roy's attempts.

"Yeah, she really doesn't seem to age," Dick replied absently. Though he and Kori had a very long talk about all that happened, including Barbara, and brought a conclusion to their fractured relationship, Dick refrained from making comments about Barbara's beauty out of respect.

Kori, however, didn't seem to care. "She is uncommonly beautiful, don't you think Donna? Like how your beauty goddess blesses mortals?"

Donna raised an eyebrow. Kori was actually uncommonly beautiful, so for her to comment on another's meant that she was seeing the same thing Donna was. "I agree." If Donna didn't know any better, she would have thought Barbara had some connection to her ancestors.

Dick shifted in his seat. "So, is there any Zesti left?"

Kori's green eyes glowed with mirth, but before she could retort, Barbara announced she was finished. She explained the upgrades and how she placed their system on her monitor watch. She would be able to more effectively monitor their system instead of hacking in. She hadn't found any traces of Brainiac, but she had noted several scans on their system that caused concern.

Both Kori and Roy offered to take her home, but Dick insisted that he would as he was heading back to Gotham to help Robin while Batman was wrapped up helping with the Brainiac issue.

"If you need me, you know the number," Barbara called out cheerily after good-byes were said.

"You really don't hate her? No hostility at all?" Roy asked Kori after the elevator doors slid shut.

Kori gave a secret smile while shaking her head. "It took me a long time to realize that while there is a fire between us, I am not the one to make Dick happy and we truly are not meant to be together. Besides, she is an interesting one. She amuses me greatly."

Roy breathed a sigh of relief. "Great, because it would have been really awkward if I couldn't invite you to our wedding."

Donna reached over and gently smacked Roy upside the head. "You stay away from that girl or I'll strangle you for Dick."

(o)O(o)

While driving back to Gotham, Dick glanced over at Barbara. She had a laptop balanced on her lap and quickly logged into her system through one of her phantom wireless connections.

"He's gone off the grid, again," she muttered, angrily punching at the keys.

"You may have met your match," Dick joked, laughing when he was shot a withering look.

"Mind if we stop for coffee, I'm having caffeine withdrawal."

Dick smirked. "You drink way too much caffeine. That can't be good for a person."

"You should see what Dinah packs away. She's worse than you."

"Hey!"

Barbara laughed and then paused in her typing to look over at him. "I really enjoyed meeting your friends. They're wonderful."

He met her eye. "And they think you are wonderful."

She cleared her throat. "I… really like Kori… would it bother you if we… stayed in touch… as friends?"

He was quiet for a moment. "You know, I thought it was going to be more surreal, but it wasn't. I think it helped that her and I worked a bunch of things out before hand. I'm actually glad that you two get along."

Barbara smiled. "You and Roy were hoping for a cat fight complete with mud wrestling."

"Well now that you mention it…"

"Mind out of the gutter, Short Pants."

"Are you _ever_ not going to call me that?"

"Nope."

He smiled. "So… when you were talking… about the old days… it, uh, made me think."

She was silent for several moments. She normally didn't talk about "the old days", but she had felt an instant connection with the three men and two women that were a second family to Dick. Her guard had not only been down, but stripped bare. 'I'm getting old,' she thought to herself, 'I'm losing my edge'.

"Are you thinking about something to yell at me about?" He asked with amusement and a little bit of nervousness in his voice when she didn't say anything. "Because I've seen you three whole days in a row without you blowing up at me over something stupid I've done."

"Well, somehow, you've managed to go a full three days without doing something stupid."

He shot her a wicked look. "I think you're getting soft on me, Babs."

She snorted in response.

"So anyway," he cleared his throat, "I was thinking…"

"Mm-hmm," the clicking of her fingers flying across the keyboard resumed.

"I was thinking about your first jump."

The clicking stopped. He held his breath waiting for a response.

"What do you remember?" she asked softly.

His eyes softening, Dick gave a small smile. "It was fall, early fall, and it was still warm. I was watching you change into your costume, but Bruce turned my binoculars off before you had your shirt all the way off."

She whipped a flushed face towards him. This was the first she had heard of this. "What? Did he lecture you? Yell at you?"

Dick cleared his throat again. "No… I guess he saved his lecturing and yelling for you. It wasn't until… near the end… when the yelling and lecturing began…" His eyes clouded over. "We actually… things were good back then… he was so different…"

Barbara looked down in her lap. She had remembered times when Bruce, as both Bruce and Batman, had called Dick 'chum' and had been more of an older brother and friend, then a father and mentor.

"So, anyway," Dick was quick to snap out of his reverie, "the rope you had was going to snap you like a twig, and both of us knew it. I wanted Batman to throw the batarang so that _I _could be the one to swoop in and catch you, but he said other way around."

Barbara's eyes were glazed over as she looked out the window and began remembering. "I can't believe how stupid I was back then. I thought for sure that two-ton test line would be just the thing. I felt like such an idiot when Batman told me it would have ripped my arms from my sockets."

"When he first took you out to show you how to properly jump, he swung around the city with you on his back, and I was so jealous… I wanted it to be you clinging to _me_ while we flew…"

She fell silent again. "Did I ever properly thank you for helping me out in the beginning… sending me spare equipment… supplying me with an endless number of batcycles."

Dick shrugged. "Well, you did let me ravish you every chance we had to sneak away. That more than made up for the equipment I sent you."

Laughing, she rolled her eyes. "It's a moot point as to who ravished who."

"I miss flying through the sky with you." His voice was thick with emotion.

She tried to dismiss the severity of the moment. "You've taken me swinging around. Remember the last time the circus was in town and you rented out the big top after hours? And after that first time I met Dinah, you swung me back up to the tower."

"Babs…"

"And I see you all the time. I see you now more than when you were Robin."

"Babs…"

"We could go flying around on jump line later tonight if you want."

"Barbara!"

She sighed and looked downward. "I know, Dick… I know…"

He pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned fully in his seat to look at her.

"When are you going to realize…"

"Realize? Realize what?" she said in a slightly tired voice as she looked out the window.

He sighed impatiently and looked down. Then, he gently placed his fingers under her chin and turned her head towards him before locking hard, emotion filled eyes with hers. "Damn it, Barbara! Don't you understand how I feel about you? How I've always felt about you? When will it be time? When will it be enough?"

Her face paled and then flushed with anger. Deep lines creased on her brow and a painful fire burnt in her eyes. "What? You're putting this on me? Why am I always the bad guy? How can you be so insensitive?" Her voice grew loud and was getting higher pitched.

"Insensitive," he shouted back, "I just want to be with you!"

"For god's sake Dick, I'm in a wheelchair!" she screamed. She hated him at that moment. She hated when he made her state the obvious. She hated that he acted like it was no big deal when she knew just how big of a deal it was.

He reached gentle fingers to caress her face. "I know. I…"

"No! No you _don't_ know." She whipped her head away from his hand, her lips bunching together as she fought off the wave of hot tears slashing across her eyes.

"It doesn't matter," he whispered, reaching again to thread his fingers in her hair. "Not to me. You're still Barbara. You're still the woman I've always loved," he sighed deeply as he watched her lower lip tremble slightly. He hated to see her cry. "It… it doesn't matter. It never mattered."

"It matters to me!" She whispered harshly.

"Why won't you at least try?"

"Try? I can't… I just can't!"

"But, why? Why does everything have to be so damn difficult? Why do you have to be so defiant and defensive and independent and guarded all the time? Why can't you just let me be there? Why can't you just let me take care of you?"

"I don't need you to take care of me! I don't need anyone!" Her defenses were rising. She hated her handicap being viewed as a weakness that someone had to swoop in and help her with.

"You're wrong! Everyone needs someone to take care of them. Everyone needs someone, Babs. And it's not about me taking care of you because you're helpless, because I know you're not and that's not why I want to be here. I want to love you, to hold you, to talk with you and be there for you, and I need you to take care of me, too. Can't you understand that?"

They stared at each other for a long time. He couldn't exactly read the emotion in her eyes. There was so much there, he could barely recognize one before it bled into another.

"I need to continue helping the League locate Brainiac," she finally whispered.

"They can wait."

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the headrest. "Dick… stop…"

"Barbara… please…"

She looked back at him, and they stared at each other for a long time again. He felt a great sadness well up within him knowing it was a losing battle. She could be incredibly difficult to dissuade.

He quickly leaned forward and captured her lips with his own. He tried to pour forth everything he couldn't seem to convey to her with words. Time seemed to stand still as Barbara allowed herself this one selfish moment of not suffering the penance she had placed upon herself.

(o)O(o)

"The planets will be aligned by the end of the year," Donna Troy commented as she followed her sister down through the tunnels that ran under the Themescyrian embassy, "are you any closer?"

Princess Diana shook her head as she pulled a key from the great golden belt around her waist and began unlocking a large, intricately carved, silver door. "I think I have the right line, but I'm at another split in the lineage."

"Can I help…" but Donna Troy's words died in her throat as she saw what lie beyond the door. The room was filled with treasures long since thought lost. "I didn't know you had these!" she exclaimed breathlessly.

Diana smiled. "When the wars came, Alexiares and Aella hid them in the chambers underneath the temple of Artemis in Epheus and the temple of Hebe in Phlious, as a sign of their loyalty, before they rode into battle together against Ares…" she trailed off, a far away look in her eye.

"You miss Aella very much, don't you?" Donna placed a comforting hand on her sister's arm. Diana had suffered a great depression at the loss of her most beloved friend and Amazonian general, Aella, and her half-brother Alexiares: the son of the goddess Hebe and their father, Heracles. In her early youth, Donna had been jealous, thinking that Diana loved Aella's memory more than her, but she came to learn the truth long ago.

"So much death," Diana's voice dropped to a whisper, "but it shall not be in vain." As she began leading Donna past the most impressive piece in the room's collection, she turned towards her younger sister. "The great goddess Queen Hera favors few outside of her own kin, but she loved me, as her daughter Hebe loved me. She came to me on the third night of my grieving in Hebe's temple and granted me a slight form of premonition. Though it is slight, it aides me in my quest."

Donna had already heard this story, but knew that Diana did not repeat herself lightly. "Sister?"

Diana stopped in front of a series of gold and ivory statues. "My premonition is telling me that you wish to talk to me about a subject dealing with an object in this room."

Turning, Donna looked at the statues, long since thought to be lost and her eyes fell still on one statue in particular.

"Diana… I have seen that face before…"

"Yes, sister, and soon, I shall as well."

"What does this mean?"

"It means we are close."

A knock on the door caused the sisters to turn around. Mala, Diana's most trusted friend that the League was in contact. The Oracle had found Brainiac.

"It does not sound promising, Princess. I believe you must hurry."

(o)O(o)

_Twenty-eight Days Later…_

Superman floated high above Metropolis listening to the sound of the city, and trying to locate the situation that needed him the most. He watched the setting sun as he filtered through what was now almost a song to him. As he listened and filtered, he noticed the stars just starting to twinkle as they chased the wildly blazing colors of the setting sun. He watched the stars and planets, trying to calculate the Great Syzygy.

A syzygy was when the planets all aligned, but the one that was upon them, the Great Syzygy, was when not only the planets would align, but all the moons as well. The Justice League had confimed with all their known sorcerers and mystics that there would be no damaging affect from the Great Syzygy. As far as he knew, it only held one purpose: the 12 Olypian Gods would retire, and name the 12 immortals with divinity in their blood that would take their place.

The Great Syzygy was going to occur on November the first. Superman cringed as he realized this date held another meaning for the Greek devine.

Many years past, November the first was when the goddess Hebe was murdered. There were three ways an immortal could die and Hebe was the victim of one such death. Diana had been very close to her stepmother and grieved her terribly. The core members of the League had noticed that in the last few years, Wonder Woman became increasingly agitated near this date. Superman felt she was growing more and more detached from her culture and becoming far more human in her emotions.

Batman had another theory. He felt that the Great Syzygy held more for Diana than even she knew. Diana herself was immortal and had divine blood in her veins. Would she be forced to cross into the other realm? Would she lose her powers? Her immortality? Would she be asked to take one of the 12 seats of the Olympian gods? And what about her sister, Donna? The future seemed very uncertain.

At an earlier Watchtower meeting, Batman had watched the princess carefully as she sank down into her seat around the great meeting table of the core members. She did not seem as concerned as Superman on the issue they wished to confront the Dark Knight on.

"Let me get this straight," Superman began. "Barbara Gordon, the Gotham police commissioner's daughter, was the first Batgirl."

Batman nodded.

"She retired and was later shot by the Joker, leaving her paralyzed. From there, she began operating as Oracle, which we all believed to be an A.I. program."

Again, Batman nodded.

"And when Brainiac was able to regenerate from a copy of himself, she discovered his base of operations, went down there on her own, and stopped him at the risk of her own life."

Before Batman could respond, Wonder Woman intervened. "Kal-El, she is strong. He is not responsible for her; she operates independently. Even my father, the mighty Heracles, could not hold back her will."

As they continued discussing the events of how Barbara Gordon, the Oracle, single-handedly taking down one of their most dangerous adversaries, Superman had noticed that Wonder Woman seemed almost unfazed by what he considered to be a very serious matter. She almost seemed to shrug off that a woman in a wheelchair had not only stopped the villain at the eleventh hour, but had almost died doing it.

"While I appreciate Oracle's contributions," Superman concluded at the end of their meeting, "I do not feel comfortable with her… leaving the security of her… head quarters."

"I don't think Oracle is normally a 'field operative', and again, she isn't 'dispatched' by Batman. She is a dispatcher herself," Wonder Woman again interjected. "I think it is unfair to place any fault on Batman. Any injury sustained to the Oracle lies all on Brainiac's shoulders."

While Superman had agreed, he still was uneasy on the relationship between the Oracle and Batman. It was his responsibility to examine all sides of how a mission went, especially when there were injuries or casulaities. He should have been greatful that there were no casulaities, and that the Oracle was going to make a full recovery. When they had found her… he would never get that vision out of his head…

As he watched the brilliant colors fase into night, he filtered out of Metropolis' song an alarm at Star Labs going off. As he headed in the direction, he wondered if would need Oracle's services tonight.

(o)O(o)

_Story Notes: I'm mucking with a lot of canon here and squashing it all together. Yikes!_


	3. 2: The Nightmares Begin

A Long Way 'til Sunrise

By Teala373

Chapter 2: The Nightmares Begin

(o)O(o)

Barbara shot up in bed, drenched in sweat. Though it was warm in the room, she couldn't stop shaking. Ever since her last big job with the Justice League, her dreams had turned into nightmares. Struggling to pull herself up to a sitting position, she reached for the small hanging bar used to help her move between her chair and bed. Long having made peace with her handicap, there were certain times when missing the use of her legs really came to the forefront. This was one of those times, when she was so antsy and shaken that she just wanted to jump up and pace. She settled for wheeling into the kitchen and busying herself with making a cup of chamomile tea.

It had seemed liked a lifetime ago when she had her last nightmare, reliving the shooting that brought about her paralysis. Now, nightmares were becoming frequent again, but it wasn't her shooting she was seeing. The second her eyes would fly open, the images of the nightmares would be gone, but the feelings were still there. Something was dancing on the edge of her memory, but she wasn't sure what it was. She felt scared, panicked almost beyond reason, but she didn't know why.

Even though her hands had stopped shaking, she could still feel her heart barely slowing down in her chest. She closed her eyes and tried one of the many meditation techniques that Bruce had taught her. The strange nightmares that she couldn't remember were interrupting more than her sleep. She had become increasingly irritable and jumpy. She tried to hide it from her partners, and especially from the "bat boys", but it was becoming more and more difficult.

She sipped her tea absently, trying to remember anything out of the ordinary that could be affecting her. There was nothing abnormal about her health, there was nothing significant about the date, or time of year, nothing out of the usual realm of stress that came with aiding the world's super heroes. It all seemed to have started after she helped defeat Brainiac, a dangerous A.I. program from Superman's home planet: Krypton.

It had been twenty-eight days since the Brainiac incident when she had made a desperate play to locate and destroy the dangerous A.I. being that was a constant threat. Every time Superman thought he had finally stopped him, he would somehow pop up again from a copy of himself that he had hidden.

At what felt like the very last minute, Barbara had located Brainiac's base of operations in an underground Lex Corp facility on the outskirts of Metropolis. She didn't have time to find a member who could get there as the majority of the core members of the League were tied up with missiles, giant robots and other arsenal that Brianiac had unleashed.

With Dinah's help, she hi-jacked a proto type jet from Wayne Tech and made it to Metropolis in record time. With Canary taking out the security systems "the good ol' fashion way", she managed to wheel herself to the main terminal and begin deconstructing Brainiac with a very special virus she had written just for him. While she had been successful, Brainiac had attacked her with several mechanical tendrils that had come out of the computer and nearly electrocuted her to death.

By the time Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and a very upset Nightwing had made it to the scene (once Batman figured out what Oracle had done), they found Canary sobbing on the floor, cradling an unconscious, battered and bleeding Barbara.

That was when everything changed… it was when Superman and Wonder Woman had learned the true identity of the Oracle. Wonder Woman then dubbed the partnership of she and Dinah the "Birds of Prey". Huntress started changing and becoming more serious about working with the Birds of Prey. Cassandra began respecting her more. Wonder Woman was suddenly more interested in utilizing her services, always seeming to be on the verge of telling her something.

Dick had spent his first night at the clock tower once she was released from Martian Manhunter's care, worried beyond belief for her. Her defenses to tired to be raised, he not only stayed the night, but spent it curled up against her.

It was also when the nightmares started, as well as the strange itching and phantom pains on her back, just above the spot where her paralysis began. That was when the strange, random tingling in her toes and legs began.

But, she would never tell anyone about that.

She was afraid because she didn't want to give her friends and family the same false hope she was secretly giving herself.

(o)O(o)

Helena Bertenelli sat at her small kitchen table, stewing over a mug of coffee that had long since gone cold, trying to chase away her own nightmares. Yet, while Barbara was having trouble remembering her nightmare, Helena was very aware of her own. She was constnatly reliving an event that had happend nearly a month ago, an event that had brought about a great change within her.

She had gone through a lot of changes in a very short period of time, and it disturbed her dreams. She had always been comfortable with being a loner, playing by her owns rules and getting her own way. She had deluded herself into briefly thinking she could have something with Nightwing, but no matter who he dated, casually or otherwise, it was just a distraction for whatever burn he was suffering from at the hands of another failed attempt to reconcile with his one true love: Barbara Gordon.

Helena was no longer upset as she recognized, as most everyone else did, the connection that existed between the two Despite Barbara's insistence that she would be alone for the rest of her life, it was obvious that the two belonged together. She had recently gained a completely new outlook on Barbara Gordon, the Oracle, and she would not sit idly when she so clearly saw the truth of what events should next unfold.

(o)O(o)

It took Batman such mere moments to make it to the balcony of the clock tower that Barbara might as well not have any security at all. While Black Canary and the Huntress had a much more difficult time evading the massively elaborate, complicated, and almost deadly security grid that surrounded the clock tower, the bat boys had seen it as a challenge. Barbara had long since given up trying to upgrade it beyond their means. She somehow had her own way of detecting if they were coming to visit her in the clock tower.

Since she had moved into the clock tower, even before he knew she was Oracle, he had put the location on his patrol. It didn't matter that she knew he did, or that she knew when the exact moment was he landed on her balcony. He just needed to see that she was all right. He just needed to try and guard her as he wish he had… before…

He had completely blamed himself when she had been shot. He felt he should have always been able to stop the Joker, to effectively put him away, to try harder to find a way to rehabilitate him. He even entertained the notion that he should have killed him… anything that could have undone the events that lead to Jason Todd's death and Barbara's paralysis.

Since the recent Brainiac incident, he had become increasingly worried about Barbara. There had only been two other times he had known of when she had "gone out in the field" as Oracle, and she had nearly died on both occasions. This last time, she had nearly been electrocuted to death, as well as suffered a multitude of additional injuries. Her stress level was elevated and she was definitely hiding more than usual.

On the first anniversary of her accident, she had gone into a rage, throwing nearly every object in the tower she could get her hands on while screaming incessantly. She finally collapsed, having thrown a very heavy piece of equipment that propelled her out of her chair, spilling her onto the floor of her computer lab. She had lain there, crying hysterically, until he had finally entered and consoled her the only way he knew how. That had been the only time he had taken her "out for a ride", as she had called it. She clung to his back, her ankles bound together in front of his waist. He had then shot his jump line and "flew" around the city with her. They didn't speak, they didn't have to, and it was just the thing to wipe the memories from her mind. After that, her nightmares of reliving the event had stopped. She moved forward fully and had thanked him with their funny way of communicating (where they didn't have to say anything) they had somehow developed over the years.

The memories soon lapsed from the forefront as he realized the scene he was witnessing through the sliding glass door of the clock tower's balcony. Barbara's chair was situated just outside the kitchen, in the back of the living room. Her head was down and she was trembling so terribly, she couldn't seem to control her movements. In an instant, Batman was at her side, calling her name and trying to help her. It didn't take him long to realize she was in a state of shock, and he wasted no time in contacting Dr. Leslie Thompkins.

While Barbara's shaking slowed considerably at the touch of human contact, she was still locked in her subconscious. She didn't see the clock tower, her living room, Batman, her chair, or the broken teacup on the floor. She was seeing a small room that she was always on the verge of recognizing, but couldn't. Her body felt cold and feelings of isolation, abandonment, and being unloved were washing over her. She kept hearing shouting and breaking glass, but she didn't know where it was coming from, or to whom the voices belonged. All she knew was that no matter how much she tried to move, she felt trapped. She couldn't even move her arms or her head. She was locked into place and that made her start to panic.

And then, everything went black.

(o)O(o)

"Well of _course___I didn't mention anything. She said she hadn't been sleeping well _in passing_, but she never seems to sleep. She told me she bought some chamomile tea to relax and that it wasn't a problem."

"But…"

"But, nothing, Dingwing! I'm not going to call you frantically every time she sneezes!"

The dialogue began filling Barbara's ears as she cracked open bleary eyes and tried to see through the haze of water that clouded her vision. Her head was pounding, but she tried to push through and gage her surroundings. She was lying on her back and could tell she was in the medical section of her lab, or "secret lair" as Dinah called it. The voices she had heard were definitely Dinah and Dick arguing, and now she could hear Tim jumping in.

She reached a shaky hand to wipe the sleep from her eyes. That was when she noticed Helena brooding in the corner of the room, leaning against a medical table.

A warm, comforting hand gently grasped hers, and then she heard Bruce's calm, yet concerned voice in her ears. "Barbara?"

The voices, which had been getting more and more high-pitched, stopped and suddenly there were several faces looking down at her. Blinking, Barbara recognized Bruce, Dick, Dinah, Tim, Cass, Helena, and Leslie as they leaned over her. Dick pushed past Bruce to get closer to Barbara.

"Babs? Babs are you all right? Talk to me!" She felt his hands on her face and in her hair.

Leslie straightened and began shooing everyone to the back of the room. "Barbara? It's Leslie. Can you hear me?"

"Mom?" Barbara managed to croak out. Every muscle that she could sense ached and her throat felt partially closed. Though her mind was hazy and she recognized the people in the room, her mouth willed the word to come out.

Bruce's eyes narrowed dangerously, especially as he saw Barbara begin to wince and tremble in pain. "Everyone out, NOW!" he thundered in his most intimidating voice.

Dinah jumped, despite her best efforts to not be intimidated by him. Helena seemed unfazed, but Dinah pulled her out the door, following Cass and Tim. Now was not a time for testing Bruce's patience. She figured if something was really wrong with Babs, the best two people who could be in the room were Bruce and Leslie.

Dick, however, was not budging.

"Dickie, please," Leslie pleaded as she prepared a syringe.

"No. I'm staying here with Babs." His eyes glinted with the smallest hint of wetness. He wasn't an idiot. He knew there was something really wrong.

"Dick, we need you to leave now. This is very serious." Bruce was trying not to raise his voice more than he had to. He didn't want to argue with his eldest son.

Crossing his arms across his chest, Dick planted his feet firmly on the ground. "No. I'm tired of you coming between us!"

Stifling a sigh, Bruce tried to choose his next words carefully. Though he and Dick had completely healed their open wounds from so long ago, there were still a few incidents that Dick was slow to let go of. All of them had to do with Barbara. Though Dick understood that Bruce had only been trying to protect both of them, Dick still felt that the interference cost him so very much, that he was afraid to measure it.

"Dick, she won't want you to see her like this, and it will be too difficult for us to evaluate with you here."

"I'm not leaving her again."

Bruce placed his hands on his son's shoulders and his eyes softened. "Dick… there's more to this… there's things that aren't for Leslie or I to tell you. Please. Please wait outside. I'll let you know…"

He allowed Dick a few moments to compose himself before he led him out the door. When he turned back, Leslie had already injected Barbara with a sedative to help her relax.

"Has she ever told you about them?"

Bruce shook his head. "Her real parents? No. I overheard her tell Dick once that she could barely remember anything from the time before Jim adopted her. From the little I know…" he hesitated for a moment.

"… they weren't particularly great parents?" Leslie supplied.

Barbara was moaning and twisting slightly, her eyes pinched shut.

"Barbara? Barbara can you hear me?" the Doctor leaned over her patient and tried to calm her.

Lifting shaky hands, Barbara grasped the top of her head and tried to still herself. "Make… it… stop…"

Bruce grasped her arms and brought them to her side. "Tell us what you see."

"Room… small green room," she huffed with exasperation through ground teeth. "They're shouting… they're always arguing… he's always… drunk…"

Leslie and Bruce locked eyes over the bed. They both had suspected that repressed memories were bubbling to the surface, causing shock and panic. It wasn't much of a secret that Roger Gordon, the commissioner's younger brother and Barbara's biological father, was a less than reputable officer with a pension for partying.

"Why did they… why did she…" but Barbara never finished her sentence as she began screaming and thrashing her upper body about.

"Hold her down!" Leslie ordered as she went to prepare another syringe.

Bruce pinned Barbara's arms down on the bed, and tried to communicate with her, but she was inconsolable. As Leslie pricked her arm with another sedative, Bruce noticed Barbara's foot moving.

It took almost thirty seconds for the sedative to begin calming the red head down. When she finally seemed to slip back into sleep, Leslie propped open her eyes and shone a small pen light into them.

"I'll need more information before I can help her," she remarked dryly. She didn't want to have to delve into Barbara's past uninvited, but she had little choice. Leslie always had a soft spot for Barbara, it was hard not to. She had a way of worming into the hearts of those she affected.

Bruce nodded solemnly before leaving the room. He paused only to give a vague reply to the impatiently waiting crowd outside the door before barking orders. Tim and Cass were to finish patrol while Dinah and Helena would cover the Oracle interface until Barbara was fully recovered. He didn't bother tasking Dick, only laid a comforting hand on his shoulder for a brief moment before heading back to Wayne Manor, more specifically the bat cave.

(o)O(o)

"Where are you off to this time, hon?" Donna asked while she watched Roy Harper pack a light bag. She had offered to take Lian for the weekend.

"Just a little mission for the squad," he replied airily, trying not to alert Lian that he was called to perform another mission as a favor for the Suicide Squad, a unit he had worked for in the past.

Donna wrinkled her nose. "They're not sending you overseas again, are they?"

"Nope," Roy zipped his duffle bag shut, "this one's just down the way in Gotham."

"Are you going to look up Dick while you're there? I hear he spends more time there than in Bludhaven these days."

"Daddy's going to see Repunzel!" Lian announced happily.

Donna looked at the happy child in her arms with confusion. "What do you mean, honey?"

Lian smiled brightly. "Daddy's going to see Repunzel; the pretty lady in the tower."

"Lian, sweetie," Donna began as she set Lian down on the floor, "why don't you make sure you have all your favorite toys packed for our special girl's only weekend, okay?"

The small girl knew that the two grownups needed to speak privately and happily toddled off.

"Roy!" A warning tone edged into Donna's voice. "You leave her alone! You know how Dick feels…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Roy held up his hands defensively. "It's just lunch! I need to pick the brain of the wise Oracle."

Crossing her arms, Donna furrowed her brow. "I'm serious. Stay away from Barbara."

"Look," he rolled his eyes, "if Dick 'moves-faster-than-me-when-it-comes-to-the-ladies' Grayson was really that serious, she wouldn't still be single."

"Roy!"

He threw the duffle bag over his shoulder and began heading out the door. "I'm going to say good-bye to my princess. Take good care of her for me."

Donna did not need her sister's premonition abilities to know this wasn't going to end well.

(o)O(o)

"It's not a big deal," Barbara began as she grabbed a coat from the low hanging hook in her closet and began putting it on, "it's just a follow-up appointment."

Dick stepped around Dinah. "Then, I'm going to take you. Dinah can monitor the terminal while we're gone."

"Everything's fine, Short Pants."

Taking a defiant stance, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "It wasn't a request."

He strode towards the front door and yanked it open before turning to her and gesturing she follow him.

She closed her eyes and sighed before heading towards the door. She ignored the concerned look on Dinah's face. As much as she tried to tell everyone it was just stress and lack of proper sleep and eating, everyone was worried about her. She had decided to humor Leslie by attending several follow-up appointments that would ultimately turn into therapy sessions.

Barbara, unfortunately, wasn't much help. While Bruce and Leslie were convinced she was having an attack of repressed memories, Barbara wasn't quite sure there was anything to remember. All she knew about her biological parents were what was in the file she knew Bruce had provided Leslie with. Her father, Roger Gordon, the brother of the man she now called her father, was an officer with the Bludhaven Police Department. Her mother, Thelma, was a lounge singer and bartender at a local Bludhaven night club. They both liked to party and were well known around the Bludhaven club circuit of the time. Beyond that, she knew very little and remembered close to nothing.

Leslie would try to ask her about the shouting Barbara referred to and if she carried pain from growing up without a mother, but Barbara wouldn't bite.

"I remember almost nothing from that night I went into shock," Barbara would always tell her. "I don't even remember leaving the kitchen. Besides, even if my parents did argue all the time and the situation was less than ideal, it was decades ago! I've led a fantastic life and the man who raised me, whom I call my father, is the most amazing person I know. I've been through worst things, why would this be bothering me now?"

Leslie always had a very good explanation, but Barbara wasn't interested. She wanted to get back to her regular life, but both Leslie and Bruce had severely tailored her Oracle activities. The normally stubborn Barbara was too tired to fight off her extended family and thus found other avenues to occupy her mind.

(o)O(o)

"I'm not even going to bother asking how the appointment went," Dinah asked as Barbara entered the apartment two hours later, "but I am curious if you mentioned to Dick that you had lunch with Roy."

Barbara cocked her head to one side. "What do you mean?"

Dinah stood up from her position on the floor. "Babette, Roy is the closet thing I will ever have to a son. While he is a little… cavalier… he always had a tendency for red-heads, particularly drop-dead gorgeous ones. He's sweet on you, Babs. I don't think you're just some onetime bedding challenge."

Her face flushed hot with anger. "I _doubt _anyone sees me as a bedding challenge." She replied tightly.

Rolling her eyes, the tall blonde crossed over to her. "Don't start your 'I'm-going-to-end-this-fight-by-being-sensitive-about-my-legs' crap," Dinah huffed. "I'm just trying to tell you to be careful."

Barbara said nothing for a moment as she swallowed what tasted like bile rising in her throat. As obnoxious as Roy was, she did enjoy his company. He completely ignored her handicap, except to make an occasional joke that only aimed to show that it didn't bother him, nor interfere with how he saw her. He didn't try and help her, he didn't bring it up, he didn't ask her if she was okay, and he certainly didn't blame himself for what had happened to her. He simply enjoyed her company and made her feel… normal.

"If you're looking for cookies, they're in tin cans in the bottom cupboard next to the fridge," Barbara practically hissed before she rolled swiftly into her bedroom, "and don't call me Babette!"

Shaking her head, Dinah headed towards the kitchen. "Whatever, Babsy, keep running," she muttered as she fished through the cabinet for cookie tins, "the sun eventually will catch the moon."

(o)O(o)

Tim Drake sat cross-legged on the roof of Wayne Manor, watching the sunset. In one hour, he would relieve Huntress from covering the Oracle line and fill in. Huntress, Black Canary and Batgirl would all be available for dispatch, and he would have to cover incoming requests for any JLA-aligned hero with Oracle access.

It wasn't that he ever worried about covering for the Oracle. Though Barbara did it best, Tim gave her a run for her money with his near prodigy intelligence and sharp problem solving capabilities. Tim's doubts came from the lack of time he was spending "in the field", as the Birds of Prey put it. He was becoming less of Batman's partner, and more of an errand boy or back-up hero.

While drinking in the raspberry and tangerine shades of the setting sun, he entertained the notion that Batman didn't need a Robin anymore.

(o)O(o)

_Author's Note: The Brainiac I use in this story is based way more on the 90's/00's Warner Brother cartoons than the actual comic. _


	4. 3: Life's Little Interruptions

A Long Way 'til Sunrise

By Teala373

Chapter 3: Life's Little Interruptions

(o)O(o)

"On the outside! You have to spread it on the outside!... I told you before, use mayo... You _can_ use butter, but the mayo browns better… Well, if you don't believe me, call Alfred!... I guess you can use a Forman grill… Just in a skillet… No, I don't sound hungry!... No! I don't want you to come over!... No! I'm in the middle of something! I have company!... NO!... No!... Grayson, I'm serious! Don't come over!... I don't _have_ anymore cookies, you ate them all, remember?... No, I'm _not_ going to make more for you… No, I don't want you to come over and help me make more!... No, I _don't_ sound like I miss you and want you to come over… No! NO!... Grayson!... Damn it!"

With an irritated sigh, Barbara turned off her cordless phone and slammed it down on the coffee table. She looked apologetically over at her guest. She didn't know how Dick seemed to know the exact moment she was in the presence of Ted Kord, but she was beginning to suspect that one or more of her female friends had something to do with it. "I'm so sorry…"

"What is it _this_ time," Ted asked with an edge in his voice, "did he forget how to walk and chew gum at the same time?"

If Dick hadn't ruined nearly every get-together she had with Ted, she would have shot him a smart remark back, but she couldn't blame him. "No… 'needed gilled cheese advice."

Roughly grabbing the glass of lemonade on the table, he took a long swig, trying to swallow the comments he wanted to make.

Barbara held up her hands. "I know, I know. We probably have about forty minutes before he gets here, so let's wrap this up."

He sat back, leaning into the plush couch cushions. "I think we pretty much covered everything, I just thought we could spend some time together… you know… just hang out."

"Yeah," Barbara sighed, "I know I have some very… intrusive friends."

She had barely gotten her sentence out when the door opened and Cass walked in with Dinah. They had about twenty shopping bags between them.

"Hey Babsy!" Dinah called cheerfully, "you will never guess what we got…oops!" she spotted Ted on the couch, "I hope we're not interrupting anything."

Ted smiled as he stood. "I was just leaving, ladies. She's all yours." He bent down to give Barbara a kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow."

She nodded. "Again, I'm sorry…"

He waved his hand dismissively. "I'm getting used to it."

Bidding his good-byes, he picked up his briefcase and headed out the door as Dinah flopped down on the couch he had formerly occupied.

"Hot date?"

"Hardly," Barbara narrowed her eyes, "I told you, its just business."

Rolling her eyes, Dinah propped her feet up on the coffee table. "He's so sprung on you…"

"Knock it off!" She began the motions of transferring herself from the couch to her chair.

"Hey!" Dinah sprang up in her seat. "Don't you want to hear about our shopping escapades? I've finally taken a liking to the little runt! We bonded!"

"Did you show her the therapeutic joys of shoe shopping?" Barbara grunted as she pulled herself into her chair.

Dinah fought the natural instinct to help her. Barbara was extremely independent and became infuriated when offered help. She didn't like to be treated like a person with a handicap.

"The one and only!" Dinah responded. "Hey, are you going to work out?"

Nodding, Barbara began wheeling towards the room designated for her home gym equipment.

"I'll come with. I want to use that machine of yours."

"Which one?"

"The one where you strap your feet in and it cycles for you."

Barbara shot her a look of bewilderment. "That's a special machine for me, nitwit. Use the regular stationary bike."

"Yeah, and your legs look better than mine and it's buggin' me."

"Really?" She looked down at her lap absently. "I thought they've become too skinny…"

"They're not as muscular as when you were Bat Babe, but they're hot. When you wear clothes that aren't sweatpants, the boys give you looks."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Dinah replied with a smirk. She knew she was entering dangerous territory, as her friend did not take compliments well. "I'll give you a hint, they both wear blue in their spare time."

Grumbling, Barbara shot her friend a withering look as she wheeled into the gym.

"Oh c'mon," Dinah called after her while they both quickly changed into tank tops and shorts, "you still got it! You're still one hot mamasita! You really look good with your hair grown out. Don't cut it again, that makes you look old! And I'm glad you finally got lasik surgery. Sometimes you had that hot teacher/sexy librarian look going with the glasses, but for the most part, you just looked old and defensive."

Barbara had transferred herself to a weight lifting bench and laid down. "Are you finished?"

"Yeah, yeah." Dinah climbed aboard the stationary bike and adjusted the incline. "Soooo…. How've you been feeling lately?"

"Fine… Dinah…" Barbara grunted in between reps with the dumbbell, "no more… incidents…"

"Sleeping better?"

"You're… ruining my… concentration…"

Pausing in her cycling, Dinah leaned over the bike handles to glare at her friend. "You're just lifting a stupid bar up and down!"

Setting the bar back in its holder, Barbara maneuvered her head to look at Dinah. "Look, I had just pushed myself too hard, okay? I'm eating better, staying hydrated, taking more rests, started some hobbies…"

"Yeah, about that," Dinah patted her stomach, "you're cooking is too good. I'm starting to pack on the pounds."

"I'm fine," Barbara stated again, not falling one bit for Dinah's casual attitude.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what? The parents I didn't know? They're gone, they've been gone. I've made peace with it. Besides, I don't even remember them and I love Jim. He's the only biological family I need."

"You know… I know what it's like to lose your parents…"

"You remember your parents, Dinah, I don't. Besides, I'm surrounded by people that have lost their parents. I have plenty of outlets should something actually be wrong!" Her tone had a finality to it that made Dinah go back to her cycling.

They continued working out in silence for about 30 minutes. Barbara finally stopped and made her way towards the shower. The dual showers in the gym allowed Barbara to easily wheel in and transfer to a plastic chair screwed into the floor. She was able to handle her hygienic tasks much easier than when she first adjusted to her disability. Now, she could clean up and change almost as fast as when she had the use of her legs, though shoes, stockings, and dress pants still gave her difficulty.

"Visitor," Cass called out as Barbara emerged from her bedroom in a fresh set of clothes. Dick stood between the front door and living room holding a fowl smelling, burnt skillet filled with charred food.

"I hope you didn't ruin that skillet just for the sake of getting rid of Ted?"

He ignored her sarcasm. "I came for a cooking lesson."

"Ted's gone, but if you would like, I was just going to watch the TV shows I recorded from last week." She was becoming increasingly tired of arguing with her friends that invaded so much of her space, she almost couldn't breathe sometimes.

"Great! I'll just…" he looked down at the pan he spent 20 minutes purposely ruining, "I'll just throw this away."

"Good idea," Barbara wheeled towards the couch.

She heard Dick rummaging around and then heading towards her personal bathroom, which annoyed her, as she preferred for others to use the regular bathroom.

"I go now," Cass emerged in her Batgirl costume, cowl in hand, and headed toward the lab, which provided many exits to various locations, such as the roof. "Dinah say… she can leave… if you do… horizontal tango." She looked confused by the words she was repeating in her broken dialect.

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Never mind about Dinah." She refrained from saying 'be careful' or 'call if you need anything.' She tried not to smother Cass and give her the independence she herself had craved when she was first starting out.

When Dick walked back in the room several moments later, she expected him to have several items of food, but he was carrying a small, plastic bottle.

"What's that?" she asked, unable to read the label from where she was sitting.

"Are these from Ted?" He asked casually, pointing towards a vase of brightly colored flowers and ignoring her question.

Barbara wasn't going to justify him with an answer, but Dinah breezed through the room. "Yeppers! Kord know she _loves_ gerbera daisies. Isn't he just so sweet to have brought them for our Babsy?"

She exited the room as Barbara growled at her.

With a satisfied 'hmpf', Dick unscrewed the top of the bottle and began dumping the contents into the vase of flowers. It was then that Barbara saw it was a bottle of rubbing alcohol.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"You a favor," Dick replied. "You shouldn't accept flowers from strange men, Babs! They get the wrong idea!"

"He's not a strange man! He's my friend! And stop ruining my flowers! What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Quite a bit," he joked as he set the bottle down and jumped over the back of the couch to join her. "I just don't like you hanging out with him, Babs. He's a little slick, you know?"

"He's not slick and you don't get to decide who I hang around with!" she practically shouted.

He picked up the remote and started flipping through the DVR menu. "Hey, I'm just looking out for my number one gal."

Yanking the remote from his hands, she found the listing for an episode and started it. "He's helping me with a project."

"Unless he's putting a Viking stove in your kitchen so you can make even better cookies than you already do…"

"YOU'RE the one that insisted, even more so than Bruce and Leslie, that I take a break from being Oracle. I am doing that. I started baking more, I've blown through a stack of Sudoku books, I volunteer at the children's hospital, I work out more, and I am brokering a deal with Kord, Inc."

"Yeah, but he's the head of Kord, Inc. Why isn't he just sending one of his lackeys to work with you? He's slick Babs! He wants all your Oracle services to himself!"

She colored slightly at his words. "He doesn't operate as Blue Beetle anymore…"

"Yeah, thank God! The only think he was good for was keeping Booster Gold out of everyone's hair… he did have a sweet ride, though…"

"Dick! I'm being serious! This is important to me! Ted and I are working on a project and we're friends that like hanging out. If you want to continue being my friend, you'll shut up and let me watch this!"

He knew he was pushing her too hard, and thus ceased his argument. He opened his mouth to ask her a different question, but she cut him off.

"I swear to God, if you ask me if I'm okay, or if I want to talk about my biological parents, I will give you the worst black eye of your existence."

He quickly shut his mouth.

"Babsy Pie!" came a call from the other room.

Dick shot Barbara an 'oh-I-am-totally-going-to-start-calling-you-that-and-you-can't-stop-me' look before mouthing "Babsy Pie?"

Hitting the pause button on the remote, Barbara turned her head towards the lab. "Yes, Dinah, dearest," she responded in a sarcastically honey-laden voice.

"Boy Wonder the Third wants to know if he can still do the upgrade tomorrow at noon."

"Yes, I'll be here. Tell him to use the front door and not the… window."

"And he wants to know who the warehouse on pier 12 is registered to, but I can't find anything…"

"It's a front for some unscrupulous characters. I don't have anything solid on them, yet."

"And he wants to know what the name is of that one place where they still sell Zesti even though I told him it tastes like crap and that Shasta is way better."

"That's like comparing apples to oranges!" Dick yelled into the lab. "There's a convenient store on ninth!"

"Okay!" Dinah yelled back. "Hey Babette! Do you have anymore of those snikerdoodle cookies?"

"If I do, will you stop yelling?" she thundered, feeling her frustration rising to its limit.

Dick turned incredulous eyes towards Barbara. "You have snikerdoodles! You were holding out on me! You said there were no cookies left!"

Rolling her eyes, Barbara began transferring herself to her chair. "This is why I miss my shows every week."

"Ok, now Tim wants to know who you guys think will get kicked off American Idol this week," Dinah yelled again from the lab.

"Tell him the Oracle line isn't a chatroom!" Dick yelled back.

"Stop yelling!" Barbara yelled from the kitchen. "If you have to ask something, come in here!"

"But you're yelling!" Dinah countered.

Though both Barbara and Dick knew by instinct that a presence was on the balcony, they both ignored it. There were now so many people coming and going from the clock tower, that Barbara often wondered why she bothered having security anymore. The sliding glass door in the back of the living room opened and the Huntress walked in.

"Hey!" she called out. "What's going on? I could hear you all shouting from the balcony!"

"We were _trying_ to watch TV, but Dinah keeps interrupting!" Dick bellowed, talking loudly for Dinah's benefit more than for the Huntress'.

"Oh shut up, Ding-Dong!"

"Hey, that's Dingwing to you, missy!"

"All of you, knock it off!" Barbara hollered as she wheeled into the living room from the kitchen with a plate of cookies balanced on her lap.

The Huntress snatched one off the plate as Babs rolled by. "Need a new battery for my communicator," she stated, explaining her presence.

"Left bottom drawer."

"Hey!" Dinah called again from the lab. "I got a robbery on fifth. So, can I actually dispatch the bat chick, or is she off limits because she's technically on the Bat Squad?"

"You can dispatch me," Huntress called in between bites of the cookie. "I just need to…"

"Are you eating something?" Dinah practically screeched after hearing the sounds of munching in her partner's voice. "Cause it sounds like your eating something! What are you eating?"

"Cookie!" Huntress yelled from Barbara's bedroom where she was rooting in her desk for a battery.

Barbara tapped her fist to her head several times. Grabbing three cookies, she made her way into the lab.

"Will this shut you up?" Dick heard Babs growl at Dinah.

"Whadidya have to slam them down so hard for? Now they're all broken!"

Barbara then came out of the lab and entered her bedroom.

"Oh, you meant the desk in the lab, sorry," came Huntress' reply after a loud clack, which sounded like a battery hitting the bedroom desk, was heard.

By the time she came back to the living room and climbed back on the couch, she looked exhausted and frustrated.

"Listen, I was going to get some milk to go with the cookies, you want some? I'll get it," Dick offered.

She nodded and let her head drop back on the cushion. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself down, but for the life of her, all of Bruce's meditation and relaxation techniques were eluding her.

"Babs!" came a shout from the kitchen, causing her eyes to spring open, "You're low on milk! What do want instead?"

"I don't care! Anything!"

"Caffeine or no caffeine?"

"I DON'T CARE! The first thing you grab!"

"Get me something, too!" Dinah yelled from the lab.

Barbara closed her eyes again, but Dinah's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Babsa-Boo, I got…"

"Dinah, I swear I'm going to rip out your vocal cords!" She could feel the vein in her forehead begin to stick out.

"But, it's the bat, himself!"

Sitting up, Barbara took in a large breath as she felt angry heat rise in her cheeks. "I don't care if it's the Warlord of…" she stopped screaming, realizing that Batman wasn't on the line, but right behind her. She turned to look at him. "What?" she tried to ask calmly.

"You're supposed to be relaxing."

Grabbing a throw pillow, Barbara smashed it against her face. "I was trying!" came a muffled reply.

Dick came out of the kitchen with two glasses in his hand. He was completely unfazed by Batman's presence. "Did you a try a snickerdoodle? Don't tell Alfred, but I like them better than his oatmeal-raisin cookies."

"I need Black Canary to investigate pier 12. I would go myself, but I have a lead on Mad Hatter. The Oracle line can be re-routed to the bat cave for Robin to answer."

Barbara knew it was a veiled attempt to help her relax, but she was too tired to call him out on it.

"The bird brain can't run a mission without Babs chirping in her ear," Dick countered in between shoving cookies in his mouth.

A black-gloved hand came down hard on his shoulder. "That's why you will be accompanying her."

Turning to face Batman, Dick was the very picture of innocence. "I need to stay here and help Babs relax!"

He was thrown a very menacing look. "Suit up. Now!"

"It's okay, Dick," Barbara responded as she stifled a yawn. "I actually want a nap now, anyway." She picked up the remote and shut the TV off.

"I'll be back later," Dick promised, placing a quick peck on her cheek before heading to the lab where a spare suit and set of equipment were stored.

"Is there anything I can do for you," Batman asked. He was becoming increasingly concerned for Barbara's well being.

She flopped down and didn't protest when he walked around and gently lifted her legs up onto the couch. "Can you come over every night around this time and clear house?"

He smirked and pulled a blanket down from off the back of the couch to cover her.

(o)O(o)

Prince Orin, the superhero known as Aquaman, sighed wearily at the news his councelors had presented.

"What news from our brothers in the Ionian and Aegean Seas?" The immortal prince asked.

The counselors shook their heads. "We're sorry, your highness," one of them spoke up, "but they have found nothing to suggest the alakoi resides anywhere near the destruction from Mt. Etna."

"And my half-brother, Namor? What says he?"

Another of the conselors shifted uncomfortably. "He and his people also have found nothing."

The prince scowled. "What other pearls of wisdom did he add?"

The conselor shifted again. "He… he said he hoped you weren't trying to take on more than you could handle."

Orin blew out a frustrated puff of air. Both he and his half-brother Namor were the immortal children of Triton. Triton was the eldest and most powerful son of the great sea god: Posiedon, brother to Zeus and one of the 12 core Olympian Gods. Orin, being the oldest and legitimate son of Triton, was given the rule of Old Atlantis, the original island nation that had sunk beneathe the Atlantic waves. Namor, the second eldest of Triton's sons, was given rule of New Atlantis, a sunken island further North in the ocean. While both brothers were arrogant, Namor was more so, always quick to make an acid remark. While his rule of New Atlantis was sound, Orin disapproved of Namor's choice in a future bride. His half-brother was constantly chasing after a married superhero that lived in New York City.

Also without a wife, Orin was more interested in Princess Diana of Themscyra. Being the daughter of Heracles, he felt she would be a perfect match and would rule well at his side. Though Amazons almost never married, Diana was exiled from her homeland and free of the rules that bound her war-like sisters. Diana also had spent a lot of time with both his grandfather and father in her youth. Diana and her sister Donna were heavily favored by Hebe and Hera, which instantly made them much beloved of all the Gods. She was perfect for him in everyway and Orin hoped she would one day call Old Atlantis her home, but first she had a very important mission, and he intended to help her with it.

"And how is my father fairing?" The prince finally asked after his thoughts settled.

The eldest of the conselors stepped forward. "As you know, your highness, Posiedon has spent most of his recent years on Mount Olympus, preparing with the other Olypians for the great sleep. He has left his great trident in your father's care. You father keeps a careful watch over guarding it. He fears there will be a war among the generations who will stay behind over who shall rule."

Orin chewed on his lip. The Olympians longed for the sleep of the Titans and wished to descend to the stars, relinguishing their rule. Many, like King Triton, who occupied Posiedon's golden palace on the sea floor where the Createan Sea met the Mediterranean, feared that the immortal descendants of the Olypians who stayed behind would wage a massive power struggle for control of Mt. Olympus. Triton wished to follow his father, but he guarded the mighty sea god's trident until the final arrangements could be made.

He couldn't help but to think that he and Diana were in line to be very powerful players in the New Order and wanted very much for her to be at his side when the time came. He was positive that Posiedon and Triton would name him the next god of the seas and grant him the powers they held. At that very moment, Orin held his own trident, forged by Hephaestus himself at the commission of his grandfather, as a present for when he took the throne of Old Atlantis.

"Please have a message sent to Princess Diana that I wish to speak with her before the Great Syzygy."

The conselors exchanged looks as they left, knowing full well their prince wished to unite with the Amazon princess before the Great Syzygy: the next planetary alignment when the Olympians would leave their world for eternal sleep.

(o)O(o)

"Drake, they all look the same to me," Dick muttered as he knotted his brow further into a frown over the handful of cables in his hand. "Which one connects the security cam?"

"The thin blue one," Tim sighed as his much un-welcomed apprentice attempted at helping him install new equipment for Barbara.

Once the cable was secure, Dick pulled a rather expensive looking piece of computer equipment from it's packaging and began to dive under the consol.

"Where do you think you're going?" Tim jumped up and walked over to where Dick's feet stuck out.

"I'm going to install the thing-a-ma-jig."

"You mean the XJ-5 component."

"Right, that's what I said: the thing-a-ma-jig!"

Tim let out a frustrated moan. "Look, Dick..."

"I got it, Neo-Short Pants. You just run along and I'll take care of everything here."

Angrily blowing out another huff of air, Tim grabbed onto Dick's ankles and dragged him out from underneath the consol.

"HEY! Whaddaya think you're doing?"

Squatting down, Tim fixed his most menacing stare on Dick, which was pretty good considering that he was only 15. Dick absently wondered if he was like that at his age.

"Listen Dick, Barbara has a lot going on right now and she doesn't need you strutting in here every other day marking her like territory. She asked _me_ to install this new equipment, not _you_! You can't just keep showing up here unannounced! I know you care about her and want to start a relationship, or whatever, but give the girl some breathing room!"

"Babs and I are just fine, thank you very much, Dr. Phil!"

"Oh yeah? Then why is Ted Kord at the front door with flowers?"

"Huh?"

Tim gestured at one of the monitors that displayed a handsome, sharply dressed man with a rather large bouquet of wild flowers.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't Babs' stalker; the man formerly known as the Blue Beetle!" Dick practically sneered. Although she always claimed they were just friends that were working on a project, he knew Ted wanted more from her.

"Actually, we refer to _you _as Babs' stalker, but to each his own I guess."

"HEY!"

"Are you two still arguing?" Barbara came into the room, finished with her task in the kitchen, "The two of you were going back and forth when I first left you! Aren't you running out of things to disagree about?"

Tim smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Babs. Anyway, Ted's here. Should I let him up?"

Barbara looked at the screen with slight alarm. "That's odd - I didn't even here the buzzer!"

"It's temporarily disconnected while I did some other installations."

Her face relaxed. "Ok, buzz him in, but you two have to lay low. Ted already knows I'm Oracle, but I don't need him linking you two to me, and then the next thing I know Batman's identity is all over Twitter!"

Laughing, Tim nodded before resuming his work.

"Wait a minute! Why does Ted know that you're Oracle?" Dick impatiently ran a hand through his dark hair and locked his eyes with Babs. He could tell by the way she set her jaw that she wasn't happy with his little outburst.

"We don't have time to discuss this right now, he'll be here any minute!" As she turned her wheelchair around, she motioned for Dick to get back in the lab and shut the door. He mumbled as he stomped in and slammed the door.

"What's with you?" Tim asked as he looked up from his laptop, "So he knows she's Oracle, big deal. He was a superhero, too. He knows the drill."

"That's not the point!" Dick through himself into a chair, tipping his head back to glare up at the ceiling.

Tim crossed his arms over his chest and smiled devilishly. "So, you're just jealous, then?"

"Oh puh-lease! Me? Jealous of him? Babs wouldn't even give him the time of day! Sure, they're friends, but that's it. She has lots of guy friends - no big deal."

"Oh really?"

"Really!"

"Well, then," Tim began as he punched in a few codes on the computer, "let's just see about that."

Connecting to Barbara's main security systems, Tim was able to bring up visuals and audios of all the cameras that he had installed. One particular camera in the living room gave them a perfect view of Barbara and Ted sitting on the couch, talking and laughing. Dick saw red as Ted reached affectionately for Barbara's hand.

"Turn up the volume!" he hissed to a snickering Tim.

"...so what do you think, Barbara?" Ted asked in a smooth, silky tone.

Dick went pale as Barbara visibly blushed and elicited a small laugh. "You didn't have to come all the way down here just for this… and you don't always have to bring flowers."

"I like bringing you flowers," Ted beamed. "I know you're busy, so I won't stay long. We're still on for tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, but you don't have to take me somewhere so fancy. We can just hang out here."

"No… uh…" Ted tried to think of an excuse as to why he didn't want to risk being interrupted by at least three of Barbara's friends. "I already made the reservations."

"Alright."

As they said their good-byes, Ted leaned down and kissed Barbara on the cheek. "Until tomorrow."

Rising to his full height, Dick grabbed the chair he previously had been sitting in and threw it across the room.

"Nice," Tim commented, trying to remain calm by Dick's outburst. "I can really tell that you're not jealous."

"Shut up!" came a grumbling reply before Dick he stomped towards the door, intent on finding more rubbing alcohol to pour in Ted's latest flower arrangement. However, the room's door burst open, and Barbara wheeled in.

"What's going on in here? I could hear the crash from all the way..." she gasped as she saw one of her ergonomic chairs lodged in an empty terminal casing.

Dick fixed a hard stare at the woman before him. "How come you go on dates with Kord, but not me?"

"Don't forget her lunch with your buddy Harper a couple of days ago," Tim chirped in.

"What?" Dick screamed, his eyes practically bulging from his sockets. "Roy, too?"

Barbara's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Not that it's any of your business, but they're not dates! Roy was in town and dropped in for lunch. Dinah came in shortly after he arrived and was with us the majority of the time. As for Ted, how many _times_ do I have to tell you we are working on a project?"

"So what was he doing here? And with flowers?" Dick countered.

Tim watched the would-be couple converse with amusement.

"He dropped off the contract that I have to review for tomorrow, and he always brings flowers, despite how many times I've told him he doesn't have to!"

"I told you not to accept them!" Dick practically roared.

"What would you like me to do?" Barbara shouted back. "Tell him that I can't accept these because you will just pour rubbing alcohol in them?"

"Yes! No… well, yes, but you should tell him that it is inappropriate because you are _just friends_!"

"Dinah has bought me flowers before!"

"Dinah used to be a florist and she isn't trying to get in your pants!"

Fire flared in Barbara's eyes. Tim took a large step backwards.

"In my pants?" she screeched. "No one is trying to get in my pants! Ted is an attractive, wealthy man with his own company, why would he try to get with me when I can't feel anything in my pants!"

"Attractive? Him?" Dick's voice had taken on a higher pitch.

"She pulled the disability card," Tim whispered to Dick from the side of his mouth. "Get out! Abort! Abort!"

"That'll be enough, Timothy," Barbara growled.

Without another word, the young Robin fled the room.

"Babs, you don't stop being desirable, or beautiful, or fun to be with just because you're in a wheelchair. Guys want to be with you. _I_ want to be with you…"

She brought a hand to her head and squeezed her eyes shut. The stress was getting to her again. He was at her side at an instant. He never meant for it to turn into a heated discussion, but it always did.

"Please, Dick… I need you to leave…"

He swallowed a lump in his throat as he rose from his kneeled position beside her and slowly headed towards the door. "I'll never stop wanting you, Barbara," he practically whispered in a defeated tone, "and I'll never stop needing you."

As Barbara slowed her breathing down, she began to wonder just what she had become. She always had a temper, but ever since she proclaimed herself guilty and reigned a heavy penance down upon herself, she was starting to become someone else… and it was starting to frighten her.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she looked out the window and noted the Gotham sky preparing for another sunset. She would not be able to enjoy it as she had many Oracle duties to attend to, whether Batman liked it or not.

(o)O(o)

_Author's Notes: One of my all-time favorite fanfics (which is also unfortunately a permanent WIP) is "The Ol' Switcharoo" which has everything a good Barbara/Dick (and the rest of the gang along for the ride) story should have (except an ending). It inspired me to read other stories like it and have more fun with the dialogue between Dick and Barbara. If by some chance anyone has that story stashed away on your hard drive any where, I can't even begin to tell you how much I would appreciate it if you would share. Pretty please, with sugar on top?_


	5. 4: Heroes Can't Go on Dates

A Long Way 'til Sunrise

By Teala373

Chapter 4: Heroes Can't Go on Dates

(o)O(o)

"How did your meeting with Aquaman go?" Superman asked Wonder Woman as she entered the Watchtower's council room.

She stiffled both a snort and a sigh. "It went very well. We discussed the szygy and what our roles may be once the new order begins."

Superman smirked. "I'm sure this was all over a romantic candlelight dinner?"

The Amazon shot her old friend a glare that would frighten even Medusa. "You just have to rub it in."

The great hero shrugged. "It's obvious he wants you to be his 'water wife'. You both have a lot in common: you're both immortals, you both have Olympian grandparents, you're both core members of the League…"

Growling in response, she took a seat around the circular table and waited for Green Latern, the person both she and Superman were meeting with.

Both being immortal and descendants of the gods, many expected Prince Orin and Princess Diana to become a couple, but Diana wasn't ready to settle down yet, despite the fact that Orin had made his intentions toward her quite clear. Being somewhat of an exception among the Amazons, it was expected that she would marry and produce heirs.

Diana and Orin were trying to find the dreaded alakoi, but to no avail. While Orin and his breathern searched every inch of every ocean, Superman had been drafted to search the ruins of Mt. Etna and Mt. Vesuvious, both the now-destroyed homes of the metal-smith god, Hephaestus. As molton lava was fatal to immortals, the Kryptonian used his x-ray vision to searcg the remains. Still, nothing.

Orin would continue to aid Diana as much as he could, but so far, both immortals had too many questions considering the amount of time they had left.

"I just hope Bruce doesn't get too jealous…"

"That's enough!" The Amazon snapped, which only elicted laughter from the Kryptonian. Ever since she had made a flirtaceous remark to Batman after a mission, the League members had teased the two mercilessly.

"Alright, alright," Superman held up his hands in defense. "I'm just interested in how the situation is progressing."

Diana sighed. "As far as I know, Zeus wants the rolls of the 12 Olympian gods that reside on Olympus to be replaced. Aquaman is an obvious choice for Poseidon's position. My mother, Hippolyte, thinks she may be in line for Ares' position."

Superman raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Diana frowned. "It surprised me, too. I mean, she is his daughter, but… I thought there would be other candidates."

"Will she expect you to take her place as the Queen of the Amazons if she does?"

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Diana stared blankly at her old friend. "I… I don't know…"

(o)O(o)

Helena Bertenelli watched Barbara Gordon carefully as she approached her. Barbara was dressed immaculately in crisp, pinstripe trousers, an attractive blouse and fashionable heels. It was a far cry from sneakers, sweatpants and Gotham Knights t-shirts.

"So, heroes go on dates?" Helena teased, always enjoying a good ribbing now that her alliance with Barbara was no longer uneasy.

"I'm not a hero, and it isn't a date," Barbara responded as she grabbed a leather bound executive portfolio from her desktop and began wheeling towards the front room, "it's business."

A corner of Helena's mouth rose. "I'm sure Ted thinks otherwise and will appreciate how nice you look."

Rolling her eyes, Barbara paused at the small table by the front door to double check the contents of her purse. There were many hidden weapons on her chair, but she wanted to add an extra set of throwing stars and a batarang, just in case.

"Before you go," Helena called out, "I need your advice. I'm studying the aspects of the hero for a paper I'm writing and I wanted to pick your brain."

Checking her watch, Barbara turned her chair towards Helena. "Sure. I have a few minutes." Barbara was very proud of Helena for going back to school to finish her degree and was always willing to help.

"Well, it seems that the hero always is faced with a choice, but never has to make it because he or she can accomplish both goals. Therefore, being a hero means not having to make a choice. Would you agree?"

A dark cloud passed over Barbara's face and she began fidgeting slightly. "A true hero doesn't have to make a choice, but a lesser hero, or a person who isn't a hero at all, does." She shook her head slightly, as if to erase the notion from her mind. "Try the Joseph Conrad books," she gestured towards her wall of bookshelves, "he has extensively written on the subject."

Without another word, Barbara disappeared out the door. Helena smiled knowingly. "Actually, that was the answer I was looking for."

(o)O(o)

Nightwing stood on the edge of the Clock Tower's elaborate security parameters, preparing to break his old record. He loved riling Barbara up by evading the security sensors and he currently held the record for fastest entry into the Clock Tower without being formally invited.

Well, no one had ever actually timed Batman, so he didn't count.

He made it through the office window two seconds shy of his record, and released a defeated sigh. He faced Helena, whom he noticed standing in the doorway. "I'll never hear the end of this from Babs. Don't tell the kid, okay?"

"Which one?"

"Robin, duh."

Closing her eyes briefly, she tried to recompose herself and not spit back an acid comment. "Cass is getting just as bad. She's been taking lessons from Dinah."

He shook his head. "Yeah, that's just what the world needs. So, where's Babs?"

"She left Cass and I in charge of operations for a few hours. She's out." Though she couldn't read Nightwing's eyes from behind his mask, she noted his jaw clench.

"She left already?" He tried to sound casual, but she knew that he was secretly possessive of the independent red head.

Helena tried to suppress a smirk. "She's on a date-that's-not-a-date."

More muscles twitched. "What? I thought it was just business meeting!"

Cassandra Cain slipped through the doorway from around Helena and stood before Nightwing. "Ted meet her at nice restaurant. All dressed up. Wear perfume and nice shoes."

"You forgot make-up and jewelry," Helena smirked.

Nightwing was silent for a moment. "You said it was a date-that's-not-a-date?"

Helena shrugged. "She said it's just a meeting, but he's taking her to the Gotham Plaza and she got all glammed up, so do the math."

Doing his best to control his emotions, Nightwing stepped back towards the window he had come in. "Well, I was just in the neighborhood and only stopped by to say 'hello'. I've got big, important Nightwing-things to do. Have a good one, ladies."

After he disappeared out the window, Helena and Cass exchanged a look. "I think Dinah will be very proud that we contributed to Operation: Oh My God, Get it on Already."

Cass smiled before heading over to the beeping terminal.

"I'll get it, short stuff," Helena picked up the headset and answered the call.

"Oracle, this is Wonder Woman," came the voice over the line. "I need to speak with you. Please switch over to the private line."

The private line meant that Wonder Woman wanted to talk to Barbara and not the Oracle interface.

"My apologies, Wonder Woman," Helena spoke into the microphone, "Oracle is only available for formal requests."

There was a pause as the Amazon princess processed that Oracle was being covered by another member of the small team nicknamed Birds of Prey. "Of course. Please notify me when the private line can be utilized."

Helena ended the call and looked over at Cass. "That sounded serious. It looks like little Miss Babs has her hands full. Let's check on Canary and see how she's doing with that drug ring." As she began typing, she snorted to herself and muttered "Nightwing-things? Really, Grayson?"

(o)O(o)

Barbara should have known that a window seat at a restaurant on a top floor of a tall Gotham building in the heart of downtown was a bad idea. She had a clear shot of the main Wayne Enterprises building, a favorite stop for masked vigilantes out on patrol. She also had a stellar view of the bat signal when it went off twice.

"I could move us to a table closer to the kitchen," Ted offered after Robin swooped by the window.

Smiling, Barbara shook her head. "It's fine. Besides, our communicators will go off at least twice during the evening, anyway."

He laughed, having ignored three phone calls that vibrated the cell phone in the breast pocket of his suit jacket. "Fair enough. So, tell me your thoughts on the contract."

Pulling out a thirty page document from her portfolio, Barbara handed it over to Ted. He raised his eyebrows at all the red pen markings.

"Did you forget that I have a degree in English and in Law?"

"I'm not surprised at the pen marks, I'm surprised at how few there are. I expected much more from a stickler like you."

She reached across the table and flicked his hand.

He looked at her with mock incredulousness. "Barbara Gordon, did you just flick me?"

"I surely did."

He was about to retort when a very unamused maitre d' approached the table. "Madam, there is a phone call for you at the front desk from a Mr. Seymour Butts who is insisting he must speak with you on a matter of some urgency."

Sighing, Barbara set her head in her hands. "I'll be right back."

She began to wheel away from the table, but Ted stopped her. "Barb, don't go. Let him work it out on his own." He had been out many times with Barbara, but could only count on one hand how many of those times weren't interrupted by Dick Grayson.

"It might be important."

"It's never important. Besides, if he was in real trouble, he can have Bruce bail him out!" Ted stated firmly, but in a low enough tone to not make a scene.

Barbara tried to be patient. "I'll be right back, I promise."

He tried to stifle a frustrated sigh as she headed towards the front lobby. Though Ted and Barbara weren't dating, Ted had made his intentions clear that he would like to. However, Dick Grayson always seemed to be lurking around every corner, whisking her away with his nonsense.

All that Ted really knew about Dick was that he was the spoiled, immature and temperamental ward of playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne. Barbara had babysat and tutored him in their youth and they hung around each other quite a bit, but Ted didn't understand why she insisted on bowing to his whims. Dick seemed like a selfish child that only wanted Barbara for him self, yet made no formal commitment to her. Whenever he interrupted Ted and Barbara's outings, it was always for some ridiculous reason: locked himself out of his apartment, couldn't find Bruce, flat tire, desperately needed to know the capital of Micronesia, his favorite Chinese restaurant closed and he was starving… The man was a police officer, plus had every connection on Gotham at his fingertips from being the ward of the most recognizable and wealthiest man on the East coast, and yet he seemingly couldn't figure out how to tie his shoes without Barbara's help.

Ted frowned and practically pouted as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and checked his messages while Barbara was gone.

(o)O(o)

As Barbara approached the phone the maitre d' pointed her in the direction of, she wondered how much time Dick actually spent in Bludhaven when he seemed to be in Gotham constantly aggravating her. Of course, if she examined it for too long, she actually loved being aggravated by him, but she would never tell him that. She would continue to push him away and focus on her plan.

"Hello, this is Barbara Gordon," she spoke into the receiver.

"Is this _the___Barbara Gordon? The one and only?" She could tell that he was somewhere in the building based on the background noise.

"This better be important, Short Pants, I'm in the middle of serious contract negotiations."

A snort came over the line. "Yeah, I'll bet."

"Listen," she turned around, sensing his eyes upon her. She spotted him near a fern at the opposite end of the lobby, "this is a very _important_ deal I am trying to broker. If you need something, Helena and Cass…"

"Yeah, I already saw them. They don't have what I want."

He had that look in his eye that made her entire body flush hot, then cold. The feeling was soon replaced with anger. How dare he flirt with her while she was trying to have a nice and productive evening… and away from the tower, no less.

"I don't have time…"

He ended the call and strode over to her. She was flustered, her sense of anger clashing with the butterflies he was making dance in her stomach.

"C'mon, Babs. Let's get out of here. We can check out that new Thai place on Main, and I'll take you swinging around the roof tops."

Still holding the phone receiver firmly against her ear, she tried to break eye contact with him, but she was practically hypnotized by his sparkling blue eyes. "Yeah, like taking a death defying leap off the clock tower with a stomach full of spicy food is a smart idea. I'd puke all over your Kevlar. Besides, I don't fit into my costume anymore."

He glanced over her figure appreciatively, making her blush. "You're arms are more muscular, but you're still as hot as you ever were…"

"Dick!" she hissed, not wanting to hear any more.

Smiling, he plucked the receiver from her hand and returned it to the cradle. "You know I'm a much better date…"

"This isn't a date," she crossed her arms across her chest defensively, "it's business."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure for you it is, but if I can't convince you, I'll just have to use force."

In one swift and graceful movement, Dick swooped down and tossed Barbara over his shoulder. He had two strides in before she began banging her fists on his shoulder blades. "What is the matter with you?" she hissed in his ear. "Put me down this instant!"

"This is for your own good, Babs. I mean, what do you see in that guy?"

"I like his costume better," she remarked dryly.

"Oh, come ON! He looks like he just dropped out of a 1930's radio serial! Besides, two out of three Birds of Prey operatives agree I look damn fine in my kevies."

Grunting an unintelligible reply, Barbara began to squirm about, trying to release Dick's hold on her.

"Yeah, like if you got out, I wouldn't be able to catch you."

She stiffened, and he stopped, realizing what he just said. He hadn't meant for it to be a dig at her handicap, but it had been. Squirming slightly higher in Dick's arm, Barbara bent over his shoulder, raised her right arm and gave Dick a solid punch to his left kidney.

They both went tumbling to the floor, Dick crying out louder than he meant to, alerting the staff of the situation.

"Is there a problem, Madam," the confused maitre d' asked while another member of the wait staff helped Dick to his feet.

"Would you please bring me my chair?" Barbara was furious. She hated asking for help, especially to have her chair brought to her. She wanted to rip Dick's head clear of his shoulders and throw it towards his other kidney.

"What was that?" Dick shouted at her.

"Sir, please," the waiter began, trying not to alert the other patrons. Luckily, they were in a more secluded part of the large lobby where they couldn't be seen or heard by the general dining area.

"You're an idiot!" Barbara yelled back as she allowed the maitre d' to help her into her chair while shooting daggers at Dick with her eyes. "You've interrupted and embarrassed me for the last time! Go back to Bludhaven and stay there!"

He was shocked as he stared at her furious eyes. As much of a fuss as she put up when he would agitate her, she always conceded, but now, she was truly angry at him. Her words had cut him and he couldn't find his voice.

Ted walked in from the general dining room and briskly made his way over to Barbara. "Are you alright?" He looked over at Dick, but didn't acknowledge him, turning back to Barbara.

"I'm fine," Barbara huffed as she secured herself in her chair, "Mr. Grayson was just leaving."

Ted looked over at Dick once more, but Dick was still looking at Barbara with a shocked and hurt expression. "Allow me to escort you back into the dining room." Normally, Barbara hated when anyone pushed her chair, but her anger was clouding her mind, and her arms ached from taking the brunt of the fall.

"Sir," the maitre d' gently took Dick's arm and tried to steer him towards the door. "I'm afraid we will have to ask you to leave."

Dick waited until Barbara was out of sight before yanking his arm away and dejectedly exiting the building.

(o)O(o)

When Bruce entered the cave after returning home from his Gotham office, he wasn't surprised to find Dick and Tim sitting in the console chairs. He wasn't surprised that Tim was holding his side and laughing hysterically while Dick was slumped in his seat muttering that it wasn't that funny. He was surprised, however, as to what they were talking about.

"You WHAT?" Bruce thundered, causing Alfred to perform a perfect 180-degree pivot and head back up the cave stairs with the tray of refreshments he had followed Bruce down with.

"He prank called her while she was out with Kord, then asked her out on a date. When she said no, he scooped her up and then dropped her when she kidney punched him!" Tim barely was able to spit out the two sentences before clutching his stomach again in uncontrollable laughter.

Dick barely heard the majority of Bruce's tirade about being careful with Barbara. Dick hated being reminded about how fragile Barbara actually was, or how overprotective Bruce was of her. It reminded him of things he'd rather forget. One being how he wasn't there the night she had been shot. The second, how he was so traumatized after he had first dodged Bruce to see her, he only visited her in the hospital when no one else was around and she was unconscious. He hadn't wanted her to see the look in his eyes. He hadn't wanted to see the look in her's. He didn't want to remember what a coward he had been…

"Dick, are you even listening to me? I'm very worried about her!"

Lifting his head, the oldest of the unofficial Wayne sons looked up at the man who he considered his father. "What?"

Bruce let out a tense breath as he raked a hand impatiently through his hair and began pacing. Tim had long stopped laughing and now grew very serious. He knew the pacing was a bad sign.

"I think there's more to these repressed memories and increased stress. She hasn't been the same since the Brainiac incident, but Leslie can't uncover much. We're all worried about her! You have to be more mindful of your actions!"

Dick winced slightly. The Brainiac incident was another major catastrophe that he hadn't been around to aide with. The Justice League had barely stopped Brainiac when he regenerated from a copy of himself and started worming his way across networks. It had been sheer coincidence that Dick had been in the Batcave when Batman pieced together that Oracle had gone to face Brainiac with only Black Canary at her side. He had been devastated to see her lying unconscious and bleeding as she lay in Dinah's arms. Though her wounds healed and her concussion cleared, it was only another reminder of his failure to protect her and to be there for her.

"She overdid it and she's still pushing herself. Most of these cases the Birds of Prey take on are large. You can't just keep barging in and upsetting her all the time. She's under a lot of stress."

Dick rose to her feet. "I don't just barge in and upset her! I'm trying to…" He trailed off, his breathing labored.

Sighing, Bruce walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know she puts up a tough exterior, and she's incredibly strong, but… she's only human and she still carries a lot of pain. It's not like when the two of you were younger. You need to be more careful with her, Dick. You need to start asking yourself some very important questions."

Dick nodded, though he did not meet Bruce's eye. "I already know the answers."

Bruce steered him towards the stairs that lead into the mansion. "Why don't you go and let Alfred fuss over you a bit. I think he's a little sad that everyone has been eating Barbara's cookies and not his."

Following his father's advice, Dick headed up the stairs and began to seek out a man that he didn't know how any of them could ever be without. As he passed that great window in the front parlor, he watched the setting sun. While a deep band of scarlet and amethyst died behind the tree line, a few stars began salting the sky. It didn't take long for Dick to find the constellation Orion in the sky. It has always been his favorite. Turning away from the window, a strange sequence of synapses fired in his brain, resulting in him remembering from his studies that Hephaestus had forged a special weapon for Orion.

He wasn't sure what made him think of that, just then.

(o)O(o)

_Story Notes: This chapter has references to fun quotes from my days on the Nightwing boards way-back-when that would always wind up in fics, including 'For the love of Zesti' & 'damn fine'. Babs and Ted in the restaurant is in homage to a wonderful story that I totally forgot the name of, but is a wonderful read of that exact plot. If anyone remembers it, please let me know? I would love to give the story and its author credit._


	6. 5: Making Sense

A Long Way 'til Sunrise

By Teala373

Chapter 5: Making Sense

(o)O(o)

Officer Dick Grayson yawned as entered the Bludhaven Police Station. He had barely slept, having spent the majority of the evening thwarting an illegal gun shipment after taking Clancy out on a date, despite his better judgment.

He tried not to think about how it had been nearly a month since Barbara had furiously told him to go back to Bludhaven and stay there. He still called upon her Oracle services, but their interactions were strictly professional.

Shaking his head slightly to clear the thoughts away, he walked though the doorway that separated the main lobby from the bullpen of officer's desk. That's when he noticed that something was amiss.

"Hey Grayson," his partner Amy called out from her desk, "why didn't you tell me?"

He walked over to her desk, still surveying the scene. It looked like Christmas, at least Christmas for a police station. There were boxes everywhere with officers pulling out brand new equipment from each one. He spotted a photographer taking a picture of several officers posing in brand new bulletproof vests from a large package.

"Tell you what, Ames? I don't even know what's going on?"

His partner rolled her eyes. "Deny it all you want, rookie, but I know there's something going on with you and the Gotham commissioner's daughter."

He frowned, wondering what that had to do with anything until something on her desk caught his eye. It was something he would recognize anywhere: Barbara's smile. He grabbed the morning paper off Amy's desk and stared in shock at the large picture of Barbara Gordon and Ted Kord seated at the large, executive conference table at Kord, Inc.'s Gotham office. The headline read: "Gotham Citizen Bestows Mighty Gift to Sister City." He quickly scanned the article.

_BLUDHAVEN. The Bludhaven police department was surprised late last night when a shipment of over ten million dollars in new supplies, including computers, arsenal, lab equipment, and safety devices, were delivered courtesy of Gotham's Kord, Inc. office. Barbara Gordon, information broker, IT analyst, and daughter of Gotham's police commission, James Gordon, signed a multi-million dollar contract with Ted Kord, C.E.O. and president of Kord, Inc. to provide extensive and exclusive services to upgrade the company's IT, security, and research departments. Gordon will not see the majority of her compensation as she asked it be used to provide services to the Bludhaven police department. Gordon claims that while she is proud of how well funded her father's own police force is funded, she worried about her sister city to the South. "I was born in Bludhaven, but have never been able to give back to the community that I called home for the first five years of my life. This is my chance to give back to the city."_

The article went on, but Dick stopped, confused by the quote. He hadn't known that Barbara was born and partially raised in Bludhaven. He was also incredibly embarrassed, knowing now what all her lunch and dinner meetings with Ted Kord were about. He had battled her time and time again to not go out with Kord, and would often find some way to interrupt their interactions. Now he saw that she had been meeting with him to work out a contract to fund his office.

"She's just as worried about me as I am about her," he mumbled under his breath.

"What's that?"

He dropped the paper on the desk. "Nothing, Amy… nothing…"

"C'mon and help me unbox the new server before we hit the streets."

Though he smiled as he helped lift the elaborate piece of equipment from its cardboard container, it was bittersweet. He was touched at Barbara's care and generosity, but he knew that he had to repair the damage he had caused.

(o)O(o)

"Can I get you anything else, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked after delivering a cup of tea down to the cave.

"No, thank you, Alfred. I'm just conducting a little research."

Alfred glaned up at the large screen of the computer. "Ah, Greek Mythology, an excellent subject, sir. We studied the subject extensively in Eton. Might I be of assistance?"

"I was conducting my random sweep on the Justice League. While I didn't find anything on Checkmate or Maxwell Lord, I did find Diana conducting research on Barbara."

"Miss Gordon, sir?"

"Yes. She was researching her lineage. After investigating her mother's family, she stopped the search. I looked into her files and found that she has been researching a family line that is rumored to be descended from the gods. I am researching those gods to see if I can discover what exactly she is looking for."

"I believe what you seek cannot be found by the usual methods, sir," Alfred began as he scanned over the names on the screen, "the myths connecting these figures to the Princess Diana can only be found in rare books."

Removing his cowl, Bruce turned to looking appraisingly at his eldest and most trusted friend. "What can you tell me, old friend?"

"Well, sir, as you know, Zeus and Hera are the king and queen of the gods and had three children together: Hephaestus the metalsmith, Hebe the cupbearer, and Ares the god of war. Zeus had many affairs and many other children, much to the demise of the jealous queen. She favored few beyond her own kin, but when Heracles, a bastard son of her husband, proved his worth after she challenged him and became immortal, she agreed when Zeus chose Hebe, her beloved daughter, for marriage to the hero."

"What does that have to do with the Princess? I know that Heracles is her father from before he was made immortal, but I was under the impression she could not travel to Olympus."

"Yes, sir, but Hebe became her stepmother and favored her greatly. Heracles and Hebe had two sons, but no daughters. Hebe turned to Diana and visited her frequently. Because of this, Diana was also favored by Hera."

"Hmm," Bruce marrowed his eyes as the wheels in his mind turned. "That explains why she always prays to Hera for strength. I always thought it was odd that she did not call out to Artemis or Athena."

"Yes, sir, when the queen of the gods favors you, I believe that is who you will call."

"That still doesn't explain the search."

"Well, sir, it seems that Ares, who was constantly at odds with the Amazons' patron goddess Artemis, started a great war in the heavens after Hebe was murdered."

"Murdered?"

Alfred sighed. "I'm afraid there is little recorded on the matter, sir, only that it caused great unrest among the immortals. They say Hebe did not go to Elysian Fields, nor to the underworld. Hades and Persephone, who ruled over the underworld, were charged by Ares. He claimed they had part in the matter. It all went down hill from there."

"Could Diana be searching for the murderer, or for Hebe?"

"It is possible, sir."

Bringing up his hand, Bruce rubbed absently at his chin. "It still doesn't make sense. Shouldn't at least one of the Gods, or the Fates know?"

"Well, sir, Diana was not only favored by Hera and Hebe, but of Athena and Artemis as well. It is said that all four goddesses entrusted the Amazon princess with many important tasks."

"Perhaps she is still on asignment."

"Either way, Master Bruce, there was always something unsettling about that particular myth."

"Oh?"

"Yes, sir. Hebe was not meerly the cupbearer to the Gods. Her beauty was second only to Aphrodite and she had powers of preminition. It was odd that she was the one to fall."

The lines on Bruce's forheard furrowed deeper. Nothing was making sense and something deep within told him he needed to find the answer before something unfortunate happened.

(o)O(o)

"Hey! You're not supposed to be Oracle-ing!" Dinah scolded as she walked in the lab of the clock tower to find Barbara at the largest of her crays.

"You spend more time here than at your own apartment," Barbara chided as her fingers flew across the keyboard. "Why don't you just move in and get it over with."

"But you need your priiiiiivacy," Dinah relpied sarcastically.

Snorting, Barbara pressed a few more keys before shooting a wicked smile at her friend. "Privacy? What's that?"

"Oh har, friggin' har to you! I think you actually hate being alone."

Something about her words made an odd feeling well up within Barbara. She fell silent for several moments as Dinah prattled on about her latest dating disaster.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what you two are talking about," Helena walked into the room and leaned against a table.

Barbara was snapped out of her reverie. "Oh… I was just tuning Dinah out as usual."

"Hey!"

"Let me just wrap up this e-mail and I'll fill you in on your next assignment, ladies."

Helena plucked a snickerdoodle from an open cookie tin on the table she leaned against. "Who are you e-mailing? Making another hot date-that-isn't-a-date with Kord?"

Rolling her eyes, Barbara turned back to her monitor. "No. I'm just answering an e-mail from Kori."

Dinah and Helena exchanged a look.

"I saw that." Barbara called out in a motherly tone, though her eyes hadn't left the monitor.

"I'm surprised you took to her so easily," Helena responded before taking another bite.

Raising a red eyebrow, Barbara shot a haughty look. "I'm friends with you, aren't I?"

Helena promptly began choking. Dinah gave her a hard whack to the back. "Touche."

"You really don't hate her? Not just even a little bit?" Dinah asked.

Red curls swung back and forth as she shook her head. "I was with Jason when she and Dick were together getting and then… well… the _incident_ happened right after their almost-wedding. She's never done anything to me but be nice. Besides, she's been through a lot."

Dinah and Helena exchanged another look. Everyone they knew had "been through a lot" and Barbara never let anyone use that as an excuse. Why was Kori, the one person everyone expected Barbara to hate with an intense white-hot jealousy, also be the one person she couldn't be nicer to?

(o)O(o)

Superman had left the Watchtower and was now heading back into Metropolis for a routine "patrol", as Batman would say. While flying past the Lex Corp tower into the blazing colors of the setting sun, his super hearing picked up a strange conversation coming from Lex's office.

"Delia, this is ridiculous," he heard Lex thunder at what was obviously his blushing-bride-to-be, Delia Theodorakis, "Do you have any idea…"

"Lex, please!" came a sobbing feminine voice the hero assumed was Delia. "I made so many mistakes, I have to set things right. I want my Jacinda back!"

"Oh for God's sake, Delia, you are out of your mind! Do you have idea who she is connected to?"

"You have connections, too, Lex! Please! I want our little girl back."

"She's hardly a little girl, Delia. I don't even think that she would want anything to do with us…"

"That's why it has to be this way."

"Delia…"

"If anyone can do it, Lexi, you can. Please. You promised me we would be a family again."

"I did, but not like this… I thought we could give her some time…"

"We're running out of time… please…"

Landing on a nearby rooftop, Superman opened a com-link to Wonder Woman and restated what he heard. Delia, who had rekindled an old romance with Lex, was part of a family Wonder Woman had been heavily researching. Their lineage traced back to the gods and it was Jacina, the love child of Delia and Lex, that Wonder Woman thought may be who she was looking for. In a bizarre and strange coincidence, Delia had not only been involved with Lex Luthor, but also Roger Gordon, the biological father of Barbara Gordon. Too much coincidence for his taste; he had learned that from working with Batman all these years.

"My conclusion," Wonder Woman began, "was that Roger Gordon caught Delia in her affair with Lex and realized the baby, Jacinda, was Lex's and not his. Delia left with Jacinda, then Roger married Thelma and had Barbara. Delia didn't go back to Lex, she took off and left the baby somewhere. The natural selection is with one of her siblings or cousins. Unfortunately, that leaves the child's last name to be either Theodorakis, Andreou, Papadopoulos, Nikolaidis, Cristopoulos, Diakos, Lekkas, Ruvelas, Tselikas…."

"Diana!" While Batman was insistent about using only codename over the com-links, Superman and Wonder Woman often relented when they were talking only with the other. Considering how much Batman tapped League communication, they should consider otherwise.

A sigh came over his earpiece. "I have been researching every possible combination of Jacinda with all the surnames connected to the Theodorakis family. There are 57 women named Jacinda Theodoraskis in Greece alone. The numbers aren't that much better with the other names. I've narrowed down 109 possible Jacinda's that meet the criteria of who could be Lex and Delia's daughter."

"They all have the same birth date and birth place?"

"Kal-El, we're talking about a crooked Bludhaven cop with mob connections, a flighty shipping heiress, and a villainous tycoon. I've never seen so many falsified records with no trails."

"Have you entertained the notion of asking Jim Gordon?"

"Are you crazy? I might as well just go to Bruce."

"He might know something. Hasn't he recently been in contact with Delia?"

"Yes, he is concerned Delia wants to connect with Barbara for some reason."

"Yeah, Lex mentioned something about their focus being on family."

"At some point, you're going to have to involve Bruce. He could've had this solved for you by now."

Another sigh. "I'll consider it," was all he received before the transmission ended.

As Superman flew off again into the dying light of the yellow star, he smiled to himself. His amplified hearing abilities had alerted him to the almost undetectable tones, signifying that someone had been listening. Diana never was good at keeping things from Bruce.

(o)O(o)

"Did you get that, Batman?"

"Copy that, Robin. Cross reference all possible candidates, and trace all falsified records to the original source."

"Got it."

"And Robin…"

"I got it, Boss. Keepin' it off the Oracle system."

At first glance, all of this was more strange than anything else, but as the fading light of the Gotham sky trailed in the Batmobile's rearview mirror, it was all causing the Dark Knight to become very concerned.

Lex Luthor was marrying Delia, his former mistress, who was the first wife of Barbara's biological father. Lex and Delia were looking for their long lost child, Jacinca, who had no biological connection to Barbara, but Delia was still interested in speaking with Barbara. Jacinda was fitting the profile for a person of extreme interest in a lineage case Wonder Woman was working on.

None of this should matter. None of this should affect Barbara. None of this should make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

But all of it did.

Somewhere amongst all of these things that shouldn't matter, Bruce felt it was all leading to another bull's-eye on Barbara's back. He may not have been able to stop the last bullet, but he would stop this one. Metaphorical or not.

(o)O(o)

_Story Notes: Barbara's origins get a very warped face-lift in this story that will interconnect her to all the other shenanigans going on. _


End file.
